


Domesticity

by SquishySterek (Herm_own_ninny)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alcohol used and mentioned, Angst, Atleast for the first chapter, Cute, Derek talks bad about himself, Derek was born in 1992, Fluff, I'll put a disclaimer when he's older... idk man, I'm a vulgar person and so is most of my writing, M/M, Scott is Bitchfae Mcgee in Stiles phone, Stiles is 17, Underage Drinking, and Stiles shuts him down every time he's there to, because I wanted my own age difference, hopefully it hurts her and everyone else in all of the best ways, i wrote this to torture my friend tbh, idk if anyone is affected by that or doesn't like it, it's very AU in a lot of ways, maybe a few after?, more contact names to come, oh there will be foul language throughout, quite a few times actually, should've had that in early tags yike, these later tags are added after I've been writing..., these tags are going to fill up real fast, yike
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-11-21 14:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11359143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Herm_own_ninny/pseuds/SquishySterek
Summary: One Hundred Ways to Say ‘I Love You’With two extra chapters and an author's note*** ALWAYS make sure to read the notes at the beginning of a chapter for any chapter-specific trigger warnings, details, and the time elapsed between that chapter and the one previous! ***





	1. Drunken Awareness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BulletBlaze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BulletBlaze/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **~~Time elapsed:~~**  
>  **Chapter Specific Warnings:** Alcohol, mention of underage drinking, vulgar language

One thing that Derek Hale could never do was get drunk.  
He wanted to, though. To be able to lose his mind after constantly being the one to remain in control of himself and others, of being the enforcer who was always on his toes at a moment's notice; it made him crave some way to be able to let that go, even for a few minutes. He'd been talking with Stiles about it once while they were researching. It had been a vulnerable moment of his, and the teen knew his natural distaste towards touchy-feely moments. So Stiles went and recommended he try the whole BDSM lifestyle, tried being a submissive. But with a smirk on his face, that little twinkle in his eye that Derek knew that Stiles was just messing about. He'd rolled his eyes, shaking his head, mumbled something about Stiles effectively ruining the moment they'd been having. The rest of the night passed in relative silence from Derek, Stiles rambling on about something or another or making stupid jokes that Derek struggled not to chuckle at.

He didn't want to even admit it to himself after how it went, but he'd mulled over Stiles' suggestion, and ended up giving it a go. He didn't know if it was the fact that the dominants he'd experimented with weren't _dominant enough_ , or if it was him, but the entirety of two months he spent were trials that only ever ended in error, but he did learn one thing: He'd been through too much shit and torture to be comfortable with someone he was supposed to trust tie him down, blindfold him, or even just simply order him around. Having the women in charge was more devastating for Derek, not because he had a problem with a woman controlling him for political reasons, but because he couldn't help but be reminded of another woman he made every effort to forget. And he was sure to make it known to these women, he made sure they knew that what had happened was something out of their control, that they were amazing and he was fucked in so many ways.  
But the men were more successful to a point, usually the younger looking ones. Derek never thought he'd be comfortable with doing something like this with another male. One of the women he'd tried suggested it after he'd told her that each of the women he'd been with had been horrible. She had suggested he give it a go with a male dominant, and try something that wasn't just a sex scene. Try a night at home, a phone call, or a night out with them completely in control. Those tended to go well, with Derek only moderately uncomfortable for the duration of the time. He never had a bad mishap with the men, but none of them were ever a good enough fit for him, he was still too wound up.  
And that was the end of Derek's botched attempt at a lifestyle he'd hoped was the answer.  
  
Now, as Derek's sitting at his house, half-heartedly reading a book titled 1985, he's honest to God shaken from his reading out of surprise. Stiles had plopped down in front of him, a devious grin on his face. "Hey, Der. I've got you a thing."  
He nodded and cleared his throat, marking his spot in the book, and stared at it through narrowed eyes. He'd been fully immersed, and that was something he hadn't had with a book in too long of a time. Who knew Scott McCall could recommend him such a good book...  
"Hola! Helloo _oo_! Earth to Derek!" Stiles snapped him from his thoughts literally, and Derek offered a half-assed growl in response.  
"If you're done trying to smite the book you're reading, I'd like to talk with you."  
"You talk to me all the time, Stiles. I was hoping for a change of scenery."  
"Why are you so mean to me? I've found a proven way for you to be able to get drunk, and this is how you repay me?" Stiles huffed playfully, making to stand up. Derek flung his arm out, grabbing the teen's thigh, keeping him rooted to the ground. "Speak."  
"Oh you want me to speak _now_? Now tha-" Derek's glare made Stiles rethink the banter, and he cleared his throat, smiling meekly. "I can get you drunk. It worked on Scott."  
Derek sat up, his attention focused on Stiles, what he was saying, and what he smelled like. "What is it?"  
Stiles' heart rate picked up, and Derek realised he probably looked more intent than normal, holding him in place and more in his space than usual. "Please." He released his grip on the teen's thigh, sighing softly to calm himself down.  
"Wolfsbane infused vodka."  
Derek furrowed his brow, rolling his shoulders to reduce the unease wracking through his body. "Uh, Stiles. That stuff could kill me."  
"I know! But Lydia was tired of Scott and Isaac not drinking or having as much fun at her parties, so she used her smarticles to create this stuff. And it worked! It wasn't lethal at all! The only problem is you can't mix it, it reacts with the wolfsbane in some ways, cancels it out, or something."  
"Did you really use the word smarticles?" Derek sighed, then frowned and took a deep breath. "You've been drinking, and you drove over here?" Derek's jaw was tight as he asked the question, and Stiles rolled his eyes.  
"I'm not as stupid as you think I am. I Uber'd over here."  
Derek grunted and then nodded, scooting forward a bit. "Are you sure this wolfsbane alcohol won't kill me?" He asked quietly, watching Stiles intently to see any minute indication of doubt.  
Stiles' cheeks turned a soft shade of pink, but he nodded, smiling slightly. "We can get drunk together, or I can stay sober to monitor you. It's 80 proof vodka."  
"What the fuck does that mean?"  
"It's about 40% alcohol, which is pretty strong. Lydia mixed it in the hopes it would work better, and it did. Scott had two shots before he got tipsy, and after six he was drunk. We didn't let him get beyond that." Stiles said proudly, leaning forward a bit.  
"Could you watch me, then? Monitor me? See how it affects me this first time and maybe see what amounts get me tipsy and what gets me drunk?"  
Stiles grinned and nodded, standing up from the floor. "C'mon, then! Let's get you alcohol'd!"  
"Please don't make me regret this..." Derek sighed, standing along with Stiles. He followed him to the kitchen, close on his heels, unable to hide his slight excitement.  
"I'll get to find out if you're a happy drunk, tired drunk, horny drunk, or sad drunk!" Stiles grinned, grabbing the bottle from the dining table before he began searching through the cabinets.  
He came to where Derek was at the counter with a mug in hand, smiling slightly. "Why am I not surprised that you don't have any shot glasses?"

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

"Stiles, why are you always around me?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, you're an amazing dude. You're funny and talkative, easy to relate to, and a surprisingly good listener. You can remember small things about people around you that you barely even know almost as good as I do. You're young, you could be hanging out with people your age that would be able to give you a better time. I'm older, grumpy, I act like an ass to you. I don't understand why you're around me so much." Derek was staring at his hands, trying to remember how they'd made it to the couch and decided to cuddle, and how he'd been coerced into agreeing with that. His emotions were all over the place, and he did not enjoy the lack of control over such a dangerous thing that he could easily keep from his thoughts when he was sober, that he could easily live in denial of. Because he was attracted to Stiles, very attracted to him. He always was surprised when the Teen came over, especially when he was ruder to him than the rest of the pack, when he was closed off to him. But Stiles never seemed to be bothered, he seemed to prefer, for lack of a better word, to be around Derek. He preferred to be in the presence of someone he previously accused of murder, who didn't do much more than ignore or insult him. It completely baffled Derek when he was sober, but now he had no reign over his brain, feelings, mouth, or the words falling from said orifice.  
Stiles was staring at him, long and hard, mulling over his words. "You're speechless. That's a first."  
Derek couldn't help the comment, couldn't help his lashing out. He was nervous and the tiniest bit scared, because he didn't make statements like the one he'd just made often, and to anyone outside of Stiles, at all. He was always scared making those admissions, scared Stiles would laugh or whole-heartedly agree with him. But this time Stiles seemed to be at a loss, slightly puzzled over Derek's confusion.  
"I always thought you were a conceited asshole, that I was the only person you would allow to be around you because I don't get insulted by how prickly you are to others. Why are you asking me?"  
"Because I don't fucking deserve you, someone like you, someone even a quarter like you in my life. I've never been able to have someone around so long, and it scares me when you get upset with me or I fear I've gone too far messing with you. You practically mean the world to me and I treat you horribly because I'm scared to admit that. I am a horrible person, I'm absolute shit, I'm the scum of the ea-"  
"Shut up. You shut up right this second. And don't give me puppy eyes right now, because nothing is going to stop me from yelling at you right now." Stiles was off the couch, leaving Derek to struggle to right himself at the loss of support. "How _dare_ you insult yourself and say you are shit. How _dare_ you try to say you are the scum of the earth! I helped you when Kate shot you! I kept you from fucking drowning by holding you up in a pool for god knows how long! I've endangered _myself_ so many times for you, and to hear you say this absolute load of bullshit?!" Stiles gave Derek a glare that could rival the werewolf's own levelling look, making the alpha close his mouth and feel frozen on the spot. "You do so much for everyone, and I don't think you realize how much good you do. You lock yourself in this house and read or stare at the wall or chase animals or research shit or whatever it is you do. Agreeably, you act like a complete ass, but everyone around you knows that. They just don't have as much of an attraction to you, they can't put up with how constantly negative you can be like I can. The pack cares about you, we worry about you, and many of us want to be able to live together and around you when we're out of the house. We want to be able to be around you and keep an eye on you, make it easier for you to keep an eye on us. But they're too scared to ask, too scared of scaring you into commitment, and it takes everything in me not to just yell at all of you to speak and work this out." Stiles stopped pacing and turned to look at Derek, grabbed his face, and moved close to him. "You are fucking amazing, Derek Hale. You are a treasure to both myself and the pack. We don't care that bad things happened in your past. Wait, we do, it's just... Okay, we know bad things happened in the past, to people close to you and around you, and we know you're afraid of that happening to us, but we don't... We do care, but we don't. We care that it scares you, but I know that the only way for you to overcome that is to be with and around us and let it play out until we can prove to you that that isn't true, it isn't a fear you should harbor."  
Stiles got on his knees and grabbed Derek's hand, leaning his face against the werewolf's chest. "We care about you so much and we want to be around you. You deserve to be happy. We want you to be happy."  
Stiles looked up at Derek and sighed quietly before tentatively climbing into his lap, grateful as he slid his arms around the teen's torso and pulled him in close. "I..." Stiles took a deep, reassuring breath, settling his face in the crook of Derek's neck and shoulder. "I want you to be happy. And not just because of me. You deserve to be happy and content and know you're loved. Because you are."  
Stiles closed his eyes and nestled himself against Derek, slipping his arms around the werewolf's waist a bit cautiously. After a few moments of silence, he cleared his throat, never comfortable with any kind of silence. "You're not speaking even more so than usual."  
"Because I didn't expect this. I forgot you always know what to say. Thank you."  
"If I ever hear you try to say something like you said earlier again, I'm going to shoot you with a wolfsbane bullet. And yell at you again. Because I meant every word, Derek."  
His heart was racing, his cheeks flushed, and Derek had never before been grateful that Stiles wasn't looking at him to see the effect his words had on him.  
"We love you." A pause, a tense pause. "I love you."  
"Thank you, Stiles. I love you, too." Derek wished Stiles knew that he meant the words more than the teen was speaking about, knew the feelings that he was truly implying, and just how true the statement was.  
Stiles had a feeling, he was pretty damn sure he understood the true wight of the words, but he decided he didn't want to have a conversation like that with Derek right now when he wasn't sure the werewolf would remember the one they just had.


	2. The Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Time Elapsed:** roughly 9 hours, it's the next morning.  
>  **Chapter Specific Warnings:** Mention of alcohol, vulgar language

Derek wakes up peacefully, he truly does. He's in his bed, nestled in his sheets and comforter, more comfortable than he remembers being in a while.  
He realized he's got a body curled up beside him and mentally praises himself for going out last night and apparently getting laid. The events would come to him later, he was sure. He glanced over at the body - _it was Stiles!_ \- smiled, and closed his eyes, slipping an arm around the teen's waist. He was comfortable, still sleepy, and able to fall back asleep, something that didn't happen to him often.  
  


* * *

 

The next time Derek woke up, Stiles was still there, but this time reality managed to sink in. He instantly jumped up from his bed, the color draining from his face. "Stiles, Stiles. Why are you in my bed? What did we do last night? _Stiles! You're still a chi-"_  
The teen was still groggy from sleep, but he'd gotten up in that time and shoved a pillow in Derek's face to shut him up. "You can only wish you got to fuck me, Derek. Now, shut up. I'm still tired." He grabbed the werewolf's arm and shoved him back onto the bed before climbing in and settling himself between Derek's legs, laying on his chest. "You owe me. I babysat while you were drunk." He mumbled, closing his eyes to drift back to sleep. "Hold me. I don't wanna use a blanket."  
And Derek complied. He wrapped his arms around Stiles' torso and held him delicately, tracing designs on his shoulders. As the teen drifted back to sleep, Derek began attempting to remember the events from the night before.  
He remembered the stupid book he'd been intrigued by, Stiles coming over, and then the alcohol. He didn't remember much after that, just a vague recollection of Stiles yelling at him about something, and the two of them telling the other that they love each other.  
His heart rate definitely sped up as he recounted the few seconds that had felt like a life time. Stiles said he loved him, but Derek knew it wasn't in the way he wanted. He could at least pretend that it was while Stiles was asleep against his chest, while he was settled in the bed with the light filtering in the room and his fingers running over Stiles' skin. He had been idly tracing patterns, but now that he was more conscious of what he was doing, he began detailing the teen's back to illustrate an image only he could see in his mind. As cliche as it was to even think, he was drawing only what he could describe as how their relationship made him feel. It was all quite trope-y. _Gentle strokes for his timidity towards pursuing Stiles, darker marks to indicate his protectiveness, gorgeous swooping dips and curves to illustrate the magnitude of his intrigue towards the teen. And one singular diagonal line through the entire image, because he knew it was simply not possible for the two of them to be together in reality as he imagined in his head._  
Not because he had unhealthy, unrealistic expectations of Stiles, but because it would change the dynamic of the pack so drastically, that if they did not work out that he would not be the only one affected by the split. The pack was a large group, so many of them interconnected in both minuscule and magnificent ways. To endanger that balance and peace, that harmony and sense of belonging that so many of them felt with each other was something Derek couldn't fathom. He wanted Stiles, but he needed to be a good alpha and keep the balance where it was.  
Not to mention the changes for Stiles, changes he was sure the teen didn't know of. The responsibilities, the interactions with and within other packs he would have to understand and be able to execute to the tune of an art. That was something Derek didn't want to thrust onto Stiles, the absolute weight of something like that, the pressure of making sure to behave and communicate perfectly so as not to affect the pack in a negative manner. That was for Derek, not for Stiles. He couldn't do that to him. It wouldn't be fair.  
To keep adding to the list, threats from both Lydia and Scott regarding Stiles towards Derek resurfaced. The two of them had come to him separately when they began noticing how much time Stiles was spending with Derek. Lydia took the legal approach, not bullshitting around the fact that they could not date. She not only threatened Derek about that, but if he were to hurt Stiles in any way, physical, emotional, or mental, that she had ways of killing him that he'd never even see coming. Derek believed her every word and took the words seriously, reassuring her that he wouldn't do anything to upset the fragile order the pack had finally been able to settle in to.  
Scott's threat was a bit more vague, but not taken any lighter. He simply told Derek to watch Stiles closely, and to watch his own actions towards the teen even closer. Scott's expression had been that he'd used on anyone who he percieved or knew was a threat to Stiles' well being, and all the alpha had been able to do was nod. He wasn't going to say anything that would set Scott off on the wrong idea.  
He'd kept his word to both of them, being softer around Stiles when he noticed the teen needed some leeway. He'd tease him, mess about with him, or just playfully piss him off to get his mind off of negative things surrounding him and clogging up his mind.  
One thing that Derek never wanted to admit - because he'd never be able to live it down - was actually how smart Stiles was. He hoped the teen knew that he actually valued his input in situations, even if he would not ask for it. He sometimes relied on Stiles' wild ideas when his own simple and logical methods were falling short of what was needed. Stiles always came through with some obscure fact that pushed forward planning and ideas, or some missing step or ingredient that completely changed the layout of a plan, but made it workable. Derek admired him for that, for someone so young to be able to think of such outlandish and deviated methods of offense and defense and potions and basic strategy to approach any type of situation. If he had to choose one of Stiles' non-superficial attributes he was most attracted to, it was his brain and mental processing abilities.

"You seem to be deep in thought."  
Stiles' warm, scratchy morning voice pulled Derek from his thoughts.  
"You happen to be right, for once." Derek teased with a small smirk, rubbing Stiles' back. "Am I allowed to get up, now? I wanted to make you some breakfast, but you seemed to be in a bitchy mood."  
"I was tired and cold and not ready to deal with you thinking we did anymore than literally sleep together last night." Stiles shrugged, nuzzling his nose against Derek's cheek, sighing happily. "I may be stupid, but I'm not an idiot."  
"Shut up, Stiles."  
"No, I will do and say what I want after what you pulled last night."  
Derek levelled Stiles out with a look, and the Teen closed his mouth, deciding against continuing on.  
"You want to bring up last night? And you want to talk bad about yourself? You may _act_ stupid at times, Stiles, but it doesn't mean you _are_ stupid."  
"On the contrary. I am ve-"  
Yet again, Stiles held back his words at Derek's facial expression, looking away from him quickly.  
"I'm being serious here, Stiles. You aren't a stupid person."  
"I know, Derek, I just don't like saying anything other than that. Otherwise people won't underestimate me and then my knowledge won't be as surprising, and I won't get to smirk triumphantly when I inevitably prove to the person calling me an idiot that I am, in fact, smart."  
Derek waited for Stiles to meet his gaze again, and he brushed a finger over his forehead. "You are." He said reassuringly. "And I don't say that to just anyone."  
Stiles being Stiles, he couldn't help but grab his chest and feign a heart attack. _"Oh my god, Derek Hale complemented me and told me he loves me within the last 12 hours. Lord, take me now!"_ And then he sat up, straddling Derek, and pointed a finger at him. "Who are you and what have you done with Derek?"  
The werewolf narrowed his eyes a bit, unsure if Stiles was playing or not. Because his heart rate had sped up, and he was giving him a calculating look. "Are... are you serious?"  
"I wasn't before, but now I am." Stiles did seem a bit frightened, and Derek couldn't help but chuckle at the incredulous situation.  
Stiles wasn't having any of it, snapping in his face to get his attention. "Tell me something only Derek would know. Now."  
"Your real name is Mieczyslaw. I still don't have the story about why your parents gave you such a weird nickname, and an even weirder actual name. You've always hated it because you can never find your name on souvenirs. You like the color red, and you cross your arms when you stand and talk with people so you can tap against your arm to keep yourself from fidgeting visibly. Your most recent nightmare was, oh... four days ago. There was a weird shapeshifting house that people were being murdered in and you were very aware of the fact you were dreaming, but could do nothing to change the scenario. When you were younger, you had a recurring nightmare about being left in a car, and when your dad got out, it started moving and you couldn't do anything to stop it. You'd always wake up right before it crashed." Derek sat up a bit, propping himself up on his arms, smiling at Stiles. "You have never told Scott this, but you're actually pansexual, not gay. Your morning routine consists of washing your face, getting dressed, brushing your teeth, and using the toilet; in that order. You always wear flannels, but you prefer wearing button down shirts and nice jeans. You don't dress like that because it isn't practical for our lifestyle, when an attack could happen at any moment and you don't have the money to spare when nice clothes will just be destroyed." Derek closed his eyes, leaning his head back a bit. "Your heart has an irregular beat every 5 beats, but it isn't a life-threatening problem. Your blood type is AB positive, and you've only needed a transfer once in our time together, and for something kind of funny. You managed to trip when Scott was being toured around the territory with Isaac, and you hit your head against a tree, and cut open your leg on a fall down the hill. What's a bit funny about that is that it's the same place you fell when Scott was being chased by Peter, and again when you were running from me when we first met." Derek opened his eyes, frowning slightly as he heard Stiles sniffle. He reached forward and wiped away one of the teen's tears, sitting up straight and holding him close. "Did I do something wrong?"  
Stiles didn't answer, instead choosing to hold tight onto Derek, still crying quietly.  
Derek held him, his own heart racing as anxiety coursed through him.  
After a tense few seconds, Stiles lifted his head and looked up at Derek. "I love you."  
The brown eyes, clumped eyelashes, splotchy cheeks, and tears still running down Stiles' face had Derek's heart seizing. A small smile graced his features as he pressed a chaste kiss to Stiles' forehead, rubbing his back soothingly.  
  
"I love you, too, Stiles." 


	3. Author's Note

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some vulgar language in this update, as it is me, the author, speaking to you, the readers.

July 18, 2017  
14:19 (2:09 P.M.)  


So I wanted to give a bit of an update for everyone reading, and for the few following along.  
To anyone who gets notifications for posts here, please consider not murdering me for this chapter being an explanatory update. Please. The Bitch Ass Life Ruiner™ that I'm writing for would be eternally hurt that she isn't getting her fix.  
_Aaaaaaanywhore_ , I have decided to make this into a super long burn fic where the two idiots don't say 'I love you' again until the last chapter. Which will be chapter 103.  
I am about to put myself through writing hell, but I will stick to it. I am going to do my best to upload a chapter per day based off of [this list](http://p0ck3tf0x.tumblr.com/post/98502010026/one-hundred-ways-to-say-i-love-you) titled " _One Hundred Ways to Say ‘I Love You’_ ".

That's about it for this update. Short and vulgar, like me.

 

 

 

          Love ya's,  
                    J.M.O.

 

**P.S.** \- A gifset from [StilesAndDerek](http://stilesandderek.tumblr.com) on Tumblr will be used as inspiration for a chapter, with their explicit permission to do so.  
Thank you. That is all.


	4. “Pull over.  Let me drive for awhile.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Time Elapsed:** A Week  
>  **Chapter Specific Warnings:** Vulgar language

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **One Hundred Ways to Say ‘I Love You’**  
>  1\. _“Pull over. Let me drive for awhile.”_

Stiles and Derek were on the way to a convention, some weird werewolf thing Derek had asked Stiles to attend with him. Strictly platonic. The dude had nearly talked Stiles' ear off tripping over his words while explaining that it was not romantically binding. Stiles was slightly offended at how quickly he made sure it was obvious this was not romantic, but after seeing just how frazzled Derek looked, he decided against mentioning it.  
After he'd let him take a cooldown run, Stiles sat on the couch with Derek, leaning against him and taking notes on his phone about the convention. He was not to leave Derek's side so as not to cause problems. He would be labelled an Emissary by many of the attendees, and Derek said he'd explain it on the ride down for him. He also said they would get many looks, as most of the time Alphas would only attend with their mate. Many lycanthropes had the same views as humans on _homosexuality_. Stiles had taken the moment to speak up himself, claiming he was perfectly capable of dealing with sideways looks. Did Derek forget who he was?  
It led to a deadly glare from Derek, his arm slipping around Stiles' waist a bit possessively. "You know you're not allowed to talk about yourself like that." He'd muttered. Stiles' stomach definitely twisted in a complete mess of emotion and he'd ducked his head down, cheeks and eyes burning.  
"Are you crying because you're scared or because I hurt you?"  
"I'm crying cos you're a good person. Keep giving me rules so we don't focus on my idiot feelings."  
Derek shut Stiles' phone off and took it from him, setting it on the coffee table. "Let's watch a movie instead." He'd murmured, and the teen had been eternally grateful for a better distraction. He curled up in the curve of Derek's side, closing his eyes and not paying a mind to the movie playing. Because damn him and his stupid emotions, his unbalanced hormones running all over the place. Derek was too much for him sometimes, but this was a new level he wasn't used to. He'd gotten used to small gestures, pats on the shoulder, and encouraging smiles. But this was something completely different, an intensity and caring that Stiles wasn't used to receiving from anyone outside of his dad. Scott was a good friend, but he was a teenager and absolute shit at recognizing and talking about feelings.  
That's why Stiles was shaken to his core by the intensity of protection and care emanating from Derek in that moment. He thought he was used to everything the alpha had to offer him, but that was obviously not the case any more.

" _Stiles!_ Now I know for a fact that you weren't listening."  
The teen gave Derek an awkward, innocent smile. "It wouldn't do me any good to try to deny that?"  
"No. Because I asked you a question twice and you've been staring out the window." Derek chuckled, shaking his head. "For someone with ADD, you sure can concentrate for long periods of time."  
"I was thinking." Stiles defended himself weakly, crossing his arms over his chest in a pout.  
Derek simply rolled his eyes and turned the radio off. "Can I have some of that undivided attention for a few moments?"  
"Oh, Derek. You've _always_ got my undivided attention!" Stiles cooed, leaning over the center console to lean his head against his shoulder and flutter his eyelashes.  
"If that were true, you would've answered my question ten minutes ago."  
Stiles scowled at him and sat back up in his own seat, staring ahead with a childish pout. "What do I need to answer, _alpha_?"  
"Don't pull that shit with me. You know I hate being called that."  
"You hate being called 'alpha' in a serious manner. I'm just mocking you right now."  
"Forget it."  
Derek took a deep breath and turned the music up via the buttons on his steering wheel, allowing Stiles to get back to his own thoughts.  
Instead of being able to immerse himself into thinking about Derek some more, Stiles' phone pinged with a text notification from Scott.  
So much for peaceful thinking.

 **Dipshit McGee:** hows it going with Grumpy McGrumperson

Stiles smiled and turned his phone ringer on silent before responding, knowing the notification noise would drive Derek insane.

 **Stiles:** He's currently pisseda t me calling him alpha because I was annoyed  
**Dipshit McGee:** you know how he is you idiot  
**Stiles:** I thought we were having a moment!!!! ! obvi I was wrong  
**Dipshit McGee:** no surprise there  
**Stiles:** wanna see my new fav Tumblr psot  
**Dipshit McGee:** as soon as i know what a " psot " is ill get you an answer  
**Stiles:** fuck youuuuuuu  
**Dipshit McGee:** i know i said i could be supportive of you dicking down guys, but idk if im good with me being the one getting dicked down  
**Stiles:** just bc you're attractive and I know you doesn't mean I wanna dickyou down, as you so eloquently said  
**Stiles:** do you wanna see the mofucking post or not you shit  
**Dipshit McGee:** sure sassyass  
**Stiles:** [spacenerdevans.tumblr.com/post/163153725358/ahieun-literally-i-am-ok-with-being-smothered](http://spacenerdevans.tumblr.com/post/163153725358/ahieun-literally-i-am-ok-with-being-smothered)  
**Dipshit McGee:**   
**Dipshit McGee:** so THATS why youve been with Derek so much  
**Dipshit McGee:** youve been getting your fix  
**Stiles:** d fuck you mean???  
**Dipshit McGee:** you always reek of each other  
**Dipshit McGee:** he always tries to touch you or some shit when were all together but he always stops it  
**Dipshit McGee:** we all know by now  
**Dipshit McGew:** idk why he thinks we dont  
**Stiles:** I never noticed he did that  
**Dipshit McGee:** bc youre always too busy giving him the lov eeyes or talking or something 

"Siles, can we talk now?"  
"Yeah, lemme tell Scott real quick." 

**Stiles:** gtg sourwolf wannts to talk  
**Dipshit McGee:** go be a gay fucker 

****

"What's up, my dude?" Stiles shut his phone off, leaning his head against the headrest before turning to look over at Derek.  
"Do you know what it means to be an Emissary, Stiles?"  
"An Emissary is a 'representative sent on a mission or errand', according to Dictionary.com. But I have a feeling that in our world it has a different meaning. Like, peace maker or a negotiator, right?" Stiles closed his eyes, a bit content at Derek's eyebrow that raised in surprise.  
"You've got the basic idea, but it's a bit more than that. I didn't want to spring this on you, but we're required to bring our emissary this year, and you're the only person I trust to do something like this. But if you get uncomfortable at any point, tell me and we'll turn right around and head home. I'm not going to ask you to stay there if you aren't okay with it." Derek murmured, turning off the highway.  
"Then tell me."  
"Over food. I packed us some sandwiches so we could sit out on my hood and eat. I want to be able to pay attention and make sure I answer your questions." Derek pulled off the side of the road near a gorgeous tulip field, and Stiles bit his lip.  
"Skagit... Dad used to come out here with mom..." Stiles murmured, unclicking his seat belt before getting out of the car, looking around in awe. Derek grabbed the sandwiches from a bag in the backseat before joining Stiles at the barbed wire fence separating the side field from the main flower field. "Is this too much? We can go somewhere else. My parents used to bring us all up here in the spring and we'd follow them on wine tours and look at the flowers. My dad would pretend it was all for my mom, said it was all too girlie, but mom told me that she did it for him because she knew he loved it so much."  
Stiles shifted his weight so their arms were brushing and smiled, still taking in the vivid colors of the fields. "You up for a little bit of trespassing?" He murmured, smiling over at Derek, his eyes twinkling.  
"You're going to get me arrested or killed one day." Derek murmured, leading the way to a gate a little ways away from the Camaro. "Come on."  
"You say I'm gonna get us arrested, but you know where the fence to enter the field is." Stiles grinned, jogging past him and jumping over the fence, taking a few more steps before simply falling face first into a flowery area, arms spread wide.  
"I'm just very observant, actually." Derek murmured, sitting down in the field beside Stiles.  
The teen smiled before re-positioning himself so that his head was cradled in the alpha's lap, looking up at him. "What'll it take to get you to feed me?"  
"I'm not going to."  
"Why? Too gay for you?"  
"You could choke and die. I won't be held responsible and have to answer to Scott, your dad, Lydia, and every other person in that god damn city."  
"But it isn't too gay for you?" Stiles smirked, reaching his arms behind his head to hold Derek's waist.  
"Stiles, I've taken a dick up the ass. This isn't gay enough to be a problem." Stiles sat up, coughing in surprise, laughing loudly. He bent forward and hugged his knees to his chest, wheezing, eyes starting to water. Derek opened the bag and started eating, watching Stiles in amusement. "Did I break you?"  
"A little, maybe." He'd finally calmed down and laid on his stomach this time, resting his head against Derek's thigh. "What was it like?"  
"What was what like?"  
"Taking a dick up the ass?"  
"I mean, it wasn't very enjoyable because the dude had no clue what he was doing. I was very sore afterwards, which makes me scared of what would've happened if I was human." Derek murmured, setting a hand on Stiles' head to stroke through his hair.  
"That doesn't sound fun." The teen grimaced, reaching for the bag of chips. He took a handful and started munching on them, eyes fluttering shut as the sunlight and food started making him tired. "Can we talk about the emissary stuff later? I'm not in a place where I can think very well." Stiles murmured, moving so he could rest his head in Derek's lap, nuzzling his face against his thigh.  
"You get a two hour nap and then we're back on the road. We have two days of driving ahead of us."  
Stiles hummed his acknowledgement before curling up, an arm reaching to hold Derek's waist. "Thank..." He mumbled, already drifting off to sleep. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Stiles, come on. Wake up." Derek was shaking his shoulder when Stiles reopened his eyes. He hummed and sat up, rubbing his hands over his face. "How long's it been?"  
"Two hours. We have ten more hours to drive today." Derek stood, offering his hand to Stiles to help him up.  
The teen took the offered appendage, hoisting himself up only to lean heavily against Derek. "Carry me."  
"No. I already let you sleep on me."  
Stiles bit his lip a bit nervously, anxiety spiking through his lower body. "You didn't like it? Was that a boundary I crossed?"  
"No. My leg just fell asleep and if I moved I'd wake you up. It was very inconvenient." Derek huffed, giving Stiles' shoulders a squeeze before starting back through the field towards the car. Stiles followed him closely, huffing in slight indignation.  
"Here I am, being something I'm not for you to be able to attend some furry convention, and you're complaining about your leg falling asleep."  
"Oh, I'm attending a furry convention, am I?" Derek smirked, easily vaulting over the fence. "I'll be waiting for you in the car. Have fun stretching so you can make it over that."  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Stiles scoffed, bending down and slipping between the horizontal slots of the gate. "Some of us aren't as extra as others here."  
"Just 'at' me next time, geez." Derek said in a mocking voice before turning to look back at Stiles and smirking. "That's what the kids are saying nowadays, right?"  
"Look at you, old man. You're getting with the times." Stiles pat him on the shoulder, heading back to the car behind Derek. He snickered as a thought came to mind, biting his lip as he pulled up his SnapChat and started filming Derek walking away. "Damn. I hate to see you leave, but I _love_ watching you go."  
"Get your gay ass in the car before I leave you here." Derek rolled his eyes, clicking his key to unlock it.  
"In a second, I'm staring at yours." Stiles giggled and saved the video to his camera roll before posting it to his story with a Geo Tag before he started filming again.  
"Why must you objectify me?"  
"Because you get on my nerves more than I get on yours!"  
"Atleast I don't call people names they don't like to be called!"  
"Damn. That was a low blow." Stiles shook his head and added that to his story as well, climbing into the car and sighing happily as he felt the heated leather through his clothes. "You know me so well." He groaned happily, taking a few minutes to just bask in the feeling the heat gave him before he buckled up.  
Derek pulled back onto the road, playing one of the many mix tapes Stiles had put together for the road trip. He turned it down so it was background noise, and merged onto the highway. "Shit, do you have your passport out? The border is about an hour away."  
"It's in my duffel in the back seat. I kept it with my clothes for the campsite in Banff." Stiles murmured, skipping to track number 7 on the CD. With Styx's Renegade as background music, he turned to Derek and started mouthing the lyrics.

 

 

* * *

 

 

They made it through two of the mix tapes and most of Stiles' favorite classics by the time they reached the border. He'd made Derek drive a bit off course to get a picture of a post office called [Ship Happens](http://www.myshiphappens.com). Other than that the two of them made it through easily enough. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

A little bit after passing Marl Creek Provincial Park, Derek started slowing down and speeding up sporadically, occasionally drifting off the road.  
After the fifth swerve back onto the road, Stiles reached over and grabbed his arm. "Pull over. Let me drive for a while."  
"Over my dead body." Derek muttered, shaking his head a bit. "We're close. I've got this."  
"No. Pull over. _Let me drive before you kill me in a wreck._ "  
"That is uncalled for and very unfair."  
Stiles took out his phone and started scrolling through his contacts. "Hm, who should I call first? Dad, Scott, Isaac, Lydia..."  
"Shut the fuck up." Derek muttered, pulling over to the side of the road and putting the vehicle in park.  
Stiles grinned triumphantly and hopped out of the vehicle. He walked around the front of the vehicle and reached out to wrap an arm around Derek's waist as he passed him and pulled him into a hug. "You're good. I can get us there, Derek." Stiles murmured, nuzzling his face against the alpha's shoulder. Derek cleared his throat and patted Stiles' back. "Can we get going again? I'd like to pitch a tent and be able to watch the stars come out."  
"Yeah." Stiles smiled, squeezing Derek again before letting go and climbing into the driver's seat. He turned the music even lower than it had previously been before reaching behind them and handing Derek a very oversized sweater of his own that he knew would fit the werewolf comfortably. "Don't sleep in your clothes."  
"Okay, _mom_. Thanks, _mom_."  
"I will turn this car right around if you're going to sass me, young man." Stiles pointed his finger at Derek and perked a brow. The alpha just rolled his eyes and playfully nipped Stiles' finger before changing and laying the chair back so he could sleep. "Drive the speed limit, use your blinker, random vague parental warnings, and all of that. Don't kill us."  
"Thank you for having so much confidence in me, Derek. I'm honestly so touched."  
"Don't get used to it."  
"Bitch-nugget."  
"You're so weird." Derek chuckled, closing his eyes. "Asswipe."  
"Fuck you."  
"You wish."  
"Don't rub it in."  
"Just get us to the god damn camp site, you queer."  
"Okay, furry." Stiles smiled fondly at Derek's half-assed growl and started driving.  
This was going to be a good trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend threatened me with a writing piece I wanted to keep buried deep in the past to get me to write and post this the same day as I made my author's update, and I don't exactly know how I feel towards them at the moment.  
> But they had really bad blackmail material so it's only being uploaded the next day. Heh.
> 
>  
> 
> I hope this was good.


	5. “It reminded me of you.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Time elapsed:** about 2 hours from the previous chapter  
>  **Chapter Specific Warnings:** Vulgar language, a minor drop(self-hate session, as I personally call them)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **One Hundred Ways to Say ‘I Love You’**   
>  _2\. “It reminded me of you.”_

"Wow, you actually managed to get us here in one piece." Derek commented as he got out of the Camaro, taking in the scene in front of them. Stiles was working on pitching the tent, and there was a fire going. "You never cease to amaze me."  
"Don't get too ahead of yourself. I had a lighter and firestarters." Stiles chuckled, setting the final pole of the tent into its holster. "Wanna help me drive the stakes through? The ground is hard and I don't trust myself with a hammer after last time."  
"You mean when you were trying to nail down a floorboard and decided your hand was more worthy of getting hit with the hammer than the nails?" Derek smirked, grabbing the hammer at Stiles' feet. He made quick work of the stakes, driving them in the ground easily. "Am I going to be your bed tonight, or did you at least bring a sleeping bag."  
"I figured we could lay down one sleeping bag and cover up with the other." Stiles said hopefully, giving a majority of his attention to the mini grill he was setting up over the fire. "And you're still in charge of dinner. You bragged about making a mean chargrilled steak, and I expect you to deliver."  
"Look at you, making all of these demands." Derek moved to stand directly behind Stiles, grabbing one of his wrists. He set his chin on the teen's shoulder, sighing quietly. "Makes me wonder who exactly is in charge here."  
"Well, I'd go with it being the one that pitched the tent and started the fire and started making demands. But maybe I'm just old fashioned."  
"How could you be old fashioned when you're 17?" Derek laughed, shaking his head and moving away from Stiles. "You just so happen to be in luck that I brought meat and seasonings with me. I'll cook once that grill's been heated over the fire for a bit. Let's go for a hike."  
"Okay." Stiles went to the car and put on some old tennis shoes he'd brought with him, and grabbed a hiking bag. "A flashlight, trail mix, flares, water bottles... Am I forgetting anything?" He spoke aloud as he combed through the contents of the bag, biting his lip.  
"Your usual smile and wit." Derek bumped their shoulders together and locked the car. "Did the age comment make you uncomfortable?"  
"Slightly." Stiles grimaced, slinging the bag over his shoulder and looping his arm through one of the straps. "It just makes me feel awkward."  
"I'm 25, Stiles. You're turning 18 in two months. That means we'll be 7 years apart." Derek murmured, leading him towards a very beaten down path a bit through the trees. Stiles smiled slightly and nodded, following close behind Derek. "You're still afraid of being left alone in the woods?"  
"It's a possibility." Stiles mumbled, swallowing nervously. He yelped as a rock shifted beneath his feet, flinging his arms out and grabbing onto Derek's shirt.  
"Do you want to walk in front of me, Stiles?" Derek offered casually, stopping so the teen could regain his composure.  
"If it isn't too much to ask?"  
"That way I can catch you when you fall."  
"My hero." Stiles rolled his eyes as he moved around Derek, poking him hard in the side as a method of payback. The werewolf only perked his brow, Stiles grumbling as he held his finger in his other hand, muttering about werewolves and their stupidly chiseled bodies and how they needed to stop assaulting his finger when he was trying to assault them. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Do you think it's inappropriate for me to get you back for the butt comment earlier by filming your ass as you climb up a hill and upload it to my story?" Derek asked nonchalantly as the two were taking a break in a grassy area.  
Stiles coughed as he choked on the water he was currently chugging and closed it so he could clear his pipes. "I don't think so, why?"  
"Because I did."  
"Derek! My dad follows us both on SnapChat!" Stiles' voice absolutely did _not_ break, thank you very much. "He's going to kill you!"  
"So it's okay for you to film my ass, but not me yours?"  
"It's my dad! What do you think!" Stiles covered his face with his hands, but he couldn't hide his smile.  
"Then why is it so entertaining?"  
"I'm imagining him yelling at you for it." Stiles giggled, dropping his hands and laughing aloud. "Ah, you're going to try and be all 'no, sir. yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir.' and he's gonna be _so_ pissed!" Stiles looked over at Derek, who had quite the sassy expression gracing his features. "What?"  
"I'm glad you find the idea of me being yelled at by your dad entertaining. Wanna know what I find entertaining?"  
"Do I?"  
"No." Derek smirked, then easily slipped into the shrubbery on the edge of the clearing.  
Stiles instantly ran after him, his breath catching in his throat. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry! Don't leave me! Derek!"  
The wolf was sat casually up in a tree, legs hanging down from the branch, and he was watching Stiles closely. The teen was definitely panicked, his heart was racing, and his face was pale.  
Instead of coming to look for Derek, however, he stood up straight, took a deep breath, and grabbed the back pack. He stopped at the edge of the clearing where they'd entered, looked in Derek's general direction, and flipped him off. Then he disappeared down the trail. Derek smirked and hopped down from the tree, following behind Stiles silently.  
By the time he made it to the camp site Stiles wasn't in front of him. It took less than a second before Stiles was jumping on Derek. He'd seen it coming, and turned around to grab Stiles, hitting the ground first. Derek rolled them over and pinned Stiles down face first, chuckling. "That was cute."  
"You're a dick. You could've at least let me get you back."  
"That wouldn't be fun enough for me." Derek smirked, standing up. "I'm cooking dinner. You want any veggies?"  
"I lost my appetite." Stiles gave him a look before going into their tent. Derek sighed softly and shook his head. He was still going to cook them both dinner. He knew how Stiles was. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Derek opened the flap to the tent and came in, two steaks and a nice helping of asparagus on a large plate, two sets of cutlery with him. "Dinner's ready. I know you aren't asleep." He murmured, sitting down beside Stiles.  
"You can stay mad at me, but don't starve yourself. Canadian hospitals aren't fun."  
Stiles opened his eyes and looked at Derek calculatingly as the werewolf started eating. He returned the teen's look, tilting his head a bit. "Kinda hard to eat if you're not feeding yourself."  
"Feed me." Stiles narrowed his eyes, still laying on his sleeping bag.  
"We already discussed this. You'll choke and that will be a bad situation for both of us."  
"Oh, so it's okay if it's only a bad situation for me?" Stiles snapped, sitting up on his sleeping bag, taking a piece of asparagus to munch on.  
"You obviously weren't that scared. You made it back to the camp site. You even had the brain capacity to flip me off."  
"I don't give a fuck. You _know_ I hate being in the woods alone, Derek!"  
"But it isn't a debilitating fear, it shouldn't control you as much as you let it. You walked out unscatched and even tried to jump scare me." The werewolf said pointedly, cutting the steak for the two of them to eat as they pleased. "I was trying to show you you're braver than you let yourself think."  
"You're still an ass." Stiles muttered, spearing a piece of steak with his fork and eating it. His eyes went wide and he grabbed the plate, holding it close to his chest. "Let me have all of the meat and you're forgiven."  
"I don't know if I'm comfortable letting you have my meat, Stiles." Derek made a face, shaking his head. His eyes were twinkling though, and Stiles glared at him.  
"You just made a joke. A _dick_ joke. First you take my dignity, and then my job. I don't think this is going to work."  
Derek laughed and grabbed some asparagus, shaking his head. "I've got to entertain myself somehow if you're going to be pissy." Once he finished the veggies, Derek stood and stretched. "I'll even take myself on a hike and go stargazing instead of staying in the tent with you to do it."  
"I don't have words for you right now, Derek. Go do something." Stiles mumbled, eating the steak with a bit of a pout.  
"I'll clean and make sure the grounds are animal-proofed." Derek murmured, running his fingers through Stiles' hair as he made his way out of the tent. 

They'd both been forced to face a fear they let control themselves. Derek's wasn't known to Stiles, so the situation did seem quite unfair. He wasn't about to try and explain it, however, because he knew Stiles wouldn't believe him, would think he was making things up to make the teen feel better.  
Derek _hated_ letting other people drive. It gave him anxiety, always made his stomach twist into knots. No one really knew about any of his fears, especially the one that settled into his gut and left a foul taste in his mouth every time he thought about the fact that he and Stiles have the same age difference between them and he and Kate had. 7 years. That's why Derek did everything he could to make sure nothing happened between them before it should, makes sure to tell the Sheriff this whenever he thinks to, even Scott. The legal issue wasn't what got his stomach churning, but the idea of him ever messing up and pulling the same thing with Stiles that had happened to him at the same age.  
Derek realized he was scrubbing the grill a bit too roughly, the bars slightly misshapen now from his destructive stress cleaning. He sighed and closed his eyes, shoulders slumping as he let the self deprecation sweep through him. If he couldn't even clean grates, how could he expect himself to be able to handle Stiles how he should? Why should he be leader of a pack when he can't get over his own fear of living with people again? The stream of conscience devolved quickly into simple words of self hate, and Derek couldn't find it in himself to stop it.  
_stupidstupid idiot f a k e not real unworthy unhappy untrusting howcouldyoubeso_ stupid _thinking you could do this he's going to leave you you're older and ugly and bad and horribleannoyingweird_ broken _pieceofshit horribledisgusting you shouldn't be alpha you can't even clean you can't help Stiles you're a fucking pedo-_  
"Der?" Stiles' voice was timid, very close. Derek realized that being on his knees, hunched over, possibly shaking, was not something he should do. He cleared his throat and straightened up. Compartmentalization was easy, he'd been doing it for far too long.  
"Yeah, Stiles?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at the teen.  
"Uh, I just... You're doing what my dad does when he's having one of his bad moments." Stiles mumbled a bit awkwardly, setting a hand on Derek's back. "I was coming out here to apologize for being a dick."  
"You had reason to. I freaked you out. Don't apologize." Derek shrugged, standing and shaking off Stiles' hand. He went back to picking up trash around them.  
"I had reason to be upset in the moment and a bit after, but I shouldn't have told you to go away. B-Besides, I don't like being alone in the tent."  
So it wasn't really an apology, Stiles just needed him so he wasn't scared. No surprise there. Derek was the Big Bad Wolf. He could scare away the monsters that were worse than him.  
"Are you good?" Stiles asked quietly, reaching for Derek's arm. The werewolf nodded curtly and started moving around to clean, avoiding Stiles' touch. They stayed in silence like that, Derek picking up, Stiles watching him closely.  
"You're doing it, too."  
Derek sighed exasperatedly, tying up a garbage bag. "Doing _what_? Please tell me what I'm doing that's so-" Derek was cut off as Stiles wrapped his arms around him from behind, holding him tight.  
"I'm not mad any more. I forgive you. And I'm sorry. Please don't shut down on me." Stiles' voice was muffled in Derek's back, but the werewolf heard him clearly.  
"I can't keep cleaning up if you're holding onto me." He replied stiffly, shoulders tense.  
"Fine. I'll be in the tent." Stiles sighed, releasing him and ducking under the flap. Derek let his shoulders slump again and he closed his eyes. He was a fucking idiot, yes, but Stiles didn't deserve this from him. He finished cleaning up, letting the negativity settle in his body, crawl back into every nook, cranny, and crevice available. It was nothing new to him. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Stiles?" Derek's voice was soft as he entered the tent again. The teen looked up from his phone, his exhaustion evident with the light from the device shining on him.  
"You're gonna talk?" He asked with a tinge of sass to his voice, shutting his phone off. "Let me make sure I'm not doing anything so that you have my _full, undivided attention_."  
"I'll go on the god damn hike, then." Derek muttered, turning around to leave the tent. A pair of hands grabbed him and yanked him back into the tent, and there was a Stiles on top of him. "Awh, look. It's pouting." The teen cooed, booping Derek's nose.  
"You're a grade A dick, you know that, right?" Derek huffed, wrapping his arms around Stiles' waist.  
"You're an even bigger one." Stiles scoffed.  
"Oh, I know." Derek flipped them over smoothly and smirked down at Stiles. The teen's breath was caught in his throat, and Derek knew he was going to hate him for making it seem like he was being sexy. "I can prove it."  
"Fuck..." Stiles whispered, cheeks flushing.  
Derek couldn't help his laugh as he started tickling the teen, who promptly started screaming and trying to get away, giggling against his will. " _No!_ Derek, _stop_! Aaaaa! Help! I'm being attacked by a werewolf!" Stiles yelled, trying to escape.  
"Oh, really, now? Who was it jumped on me after leaving me in the woods alone?"  
"Oh, _fuck_ no, you don't!" Stiles was breathless, but he managed to flip them, straddling Derek and pinning his wrists above his head. The teen stayed like that, panting, staring down at him. "Fuck you."  
"You seem to be in a good position to do so." Derek smirked, sitting up and smiling. Stiles scoffed and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "Keep dreaming."  
"I will." Derek said honestly, looking up through the mesh net at the top of the tent. "Finally." He whispered, eyes lighting up as he looked at the stars above them. Stiles was a bit oblivious to the sparkling beauty so far away, quite caught up in staring at the one in front of him. At a lack of response, Derek looked back at him and chuckled. "There's something much more drool-worthy if you'll look up."  
Stiles' cheeks turned a bright red as he broke eye contact and looked above them. "I don't know, Derek. It's a pretty close call."  
"Ugh, you're one of those sappy people, aren't you?" Derek grimaced, gagging playfully.  
"Save that for sucking my dick when the time comes." Stiles said off-handedly, eyes still trained on the stars speckling the night sky. Derek choked on the breath he was taking in, covering his mouth as he struggled to regain composure. "That, too. Geez, Der." The teen was smirking as he finally looked back at the werewolf, his eyes going soft as he looked at him. "Damn, I'm lucky."  
"Yeah, we got a really good camping spot. Good job picking it." Derek said quickly, giving him a shoulder bro-punch.  
Stiles huffed out a laugh and rolled his eyes, moving out of Derek's lap. "Come on, I'm tired." He murmured, tugging at the werewolf's sleeve to have him join him on the ground.  
"Fine." Derek smiled, laying beside Stiles and laying the blanket over their bodies. Stiles smiled and tangled their legs together, resting his head on Derek's chest. "Thanks for today, seriously."  
"No problem, Stiles." Derek murmured, tangling his fingers in the teen's hair as both of their eyes fell shut. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Derek! I found the perfect souvenir!" Stiles ran over to Derek with two shirts in hand. He held them up to reveal shitty graphic-style shirts. But the text made Derek laugh, and he couldn't help but agree.  
"BAMF. Your dad's going to kill me for buying them."  
"Not as much as he'll kill me for buying another stuffed wolf."  
"Excuse me? Stiles! Those were $30! I'm going to kill you! You should've had me pay!"  
"But... It reminded me of you. I had to have it. I was not going to let you buy it." Stiles hugged the toy to his chest, smiling innocently at Derek.  
"You really are sappy." The werewolf curled his lip in playful disgust, ducking a swing from Stiles while laughing. "Come on, let's get the shirts, then it's back on the road."  
"We're wearing them at your furry convention."  
"Stiles, if you keep calling my meeting a furry convention around people, I will choke you."  
"Is that a promise?" The teen wiggled his eye brows, shimmying up next to Derek.  
"Yes." He deadpanned, grabbing the shirts and walking to the check out counter.  
Stiles grinned and followed Derek. "Then I just might have to keep calling it that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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> Friendly note, BAMF stands for Bad Ass Mother Fucker, and sounds very similar to the park they're in, Banff.


	6. “No, no, it’s my treat.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **One Hundred Ways to Say ‘I Love You’**   
>  _“No, no, it’s my treat.”_
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> OC description and names at the [end of the work](http://www.archiveofourown.org/works/11359143/chapters/25988736#chapter_6_endnotes) in notes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Time elapsed:** 14hours  
>  **Chapter Specific Warnings:** vulgar language, over-exaggerated tropes, underage drinking, sexual themes after the "love concession" phrase of this chapter
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> Please check the links so you have some geographic context. This is in case I can't find a way to work location into a conversation, but also because I don't enjoy being that author that says "okay they're at (insert location here)"

"Dude, this is a fucking gorgeous [hotel](http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ywgdw-delta-hotels-winnipeg/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2). Where's the [convention center](http://www.wcc.mb.ca)?" Stiles was looking about them in awe, a small smile gracing his lips.  
Derek took a second to look at Stiles, the exhaustion from a 14 hour drive making it more difficult for him to be his usual level of grumpiness. And to reign in his usual attraction levels towards Stiles. "It's across the street. You can see it from the pool they have here."  
Stiles grimaced. "A pool by a noisy street?"  
"It's on the roof." Derek smirked, getting out and stretching. "I'm having the valet service take the car. Help me grab our stuff?"  
Stiles got out and took a moment to stretch himself before they started loading their luggage and other items onto the cart a bellhop brought out to them.  
"Stiles, come here." Derek hissed, standing at the passenger side of the vehicle, grabbing things from the back seat. The teen ran over and scooted up close, peeking into the back of the car. "Oh yeah! I brought along some of Lydia's stuff in case you wanted to have some fun one night." He said proudly, immediately wiping the look from his face at Derek's expression.  
"It's illegal to drive with an open alcohol container, Stiles! Grab my duffel and bring it back here so I can hide this." He muttered.  
Stiles came around with the requested bag, smiling weakly at Derek's expression. "You didn't know I brought more than one, did you?"  
"I'm going to murder you. Actually murder you. You will _die_. I can't belie-" Stiles had covered Derek's mouth with his hand, glancing over at a police officer walking by. "Shh. On both the murderous threats and alcohol."  
"No! I can't believe you put me in a position like this where I am brea-oh. Hello officer." Stiles had forced Derek to turn around, effectively cutting him off. The officer was about 5 feet away, and Stiles was not about to let Derek get arrested in a different country where he wasn't sure he could bail him out.  
"Good evening. You two doing fine?"  
"Yes sir! Can I ask you a question?" Stiles was on damage control, and he could easily pull the man's attention away from the car so Derek could hide the illegal stuffs.  
"Sure thing. What can I do for you?"  
"So, my dad is a sheriff in my hometown back in Washington State. I wanted to ask you about some of the differences? My dad has always been curious." Stiles stepped onto the curb with the man, absolutely intending to follow through on this as long as Derek got everything in.  
"That's a good Emissary you've got, helping you break the law, Derek." The werewolf turned around, a tight smile on his face that instantly warmed into a real smile. "Jacob!" The alpha of the Andirei pack, a childhood friend of Derek's, had been walking back to the hotel and witnessed the scene.  
"Technically I'm not breaking the law, he brought it."  
"You're the legal adult with a minor who possessed alcohol, across borders. You're breaking the law." The man smirked. His emissary, Jamie, rolled her eyes. "No legal discussions allowed at this getaway. You promised me." She muttered, hugging his arm.  
"Sorry, babe. Had to make sure Mr. Hale knew just what kind of trouble he'd be in."  
"With Stiles, the trouble never ends. He's like the pastor's child, but the sheriff's, instead." Derek sighed, shaking his head in amusement. He tossed a hoodie over the three bottles and zipped the bag up.  
"Why do I smell wolfsbane, Derek?" Jacob grabbed his arm, brow furrowing.  
"One of Stiles' friends, well, a member of my pack, she laced alcohol with just enough to give it the effect of alcohol. The shit actually works seriously well." He shrugged his friend's hand off and took the bag to the cart. "Is there anything else in the back seat that you can see, Jake?"  
"Some stupid stuffed wolf." He snickered, picking it up.  
"My wolf!" Stiles said without an ounce of shame, snatching it from the alpha's hands. He tucked it under his arm before giving him a slightly scathing once over. "Who are you and why were you touching him?"  
"Ooh, fiesty." Jacob chuckled, ducking a flick from Jamie.  
"Ooh, wait. Suit, red hair... The douchecanoe is the alpha of the pack you used to always visit. And the gorgeous woman with him to defend my honour is Emissary Jamie!" He smiled proudly.  
"Please don't call other alpha's douchecanoes, Stiles." Derek sighed, trying to hide a smile.  
"I was simply making a statement based off of observation." He smiled innocently. He and Jamie made eye contact and they both giggled. "Hi. I'm-"  
"Stiles. I know. Derek's told Jake a lot about you, which means I've heard about you." She smiled at him, squeezing Jake's arm.  
"You're not allowed to give me shit for talking about you to Scott. I've never even met these people and they probably have embarrassing selfies of me." Stiles gave Derek a playful glare before sticking his arm out for Jamie. "I think we should go inside and let the two _alphas_ bond and bring our stuff up."  
"I like that idea. I've been stuck with him for far too long today." Jamie kissed Jake's cheek before looping her arm through Stiles'.  
Stiles stuck his tongue out at Derek as they walked by, the two emissaries giggling softly at the expressions of both men.  


"So, I have to ask, how old are you, Stiles?" She asked softly as they entered the building, the two nodding their thanks to the employee opening the door.  
"I'm seventeen. I'll be eighteen in about two months." Stiles smiled, walking towards the open waiting room.  
"I'm just asking because Derek can be very intense, but also because I have to threaten you. If you do hurt him, I won't be the only person you'll be on the run from." Her expression was polite, but her tone was deadly. "Jake and I will be the least of your worries."  
At Stiles' smile and happy sigh, she gave him a look, brows furrowing in confusion. "Do you like being threatened, or something?"  
"No, it's just refreshing to find someone that threatens me about hurting Derek. He doesn't socialize much in our hometown, so the only threats about our relationship are in reference to me being hurt." Stiles murmured, squeezing her hand before dropping it and pulling back a chair at the table they'd chosen in the diner.  
"I'm oddly touched at the fact you would rather be threatened than him, but my statement still stands true."  
"You don't have to worry about it. I'm pretty sure I'll be the one getting left from whatever it is we have going on." Stiles said nonchalantly, sitting beside her. "I've accepted it, and I've decided to enjoy it while I can."  
"Why would you think something like that?"  
"I know he's worried about our age difference from his own past. That will eventually get in the way. I just..." Stiles sighed, picking at his nails. "He's not content with me. It isn't the whole 'I'm not kissing you because you're too young' that has me put off, but by how closed off he still is towards me. He'll tell me about the big stuff, except for some major missing piece to his back story, or the small things. He distracted me and wouldn't discuss whatever caused a self hate session he had at the camp site." Stiles shrugged. "I overshare. Like right now. You probably really didn't want to know this stuff. I'm sorry." Stiles groaned, covering his face with his hands.  
"We'll talk later, they're coming back from the elevator. Make a joke or something."  
"Go back to threatening me about him. He needs to hear it." Stiles whispered.  
"And I mean it when I say that I will come after you if you hurt Derek." Jamie raised her voice from the whisper, giving Stiles an actually threatening look.  
"Oh, you must be used to coming second. I'm sorry about that." Stiles made a face, laughing as he ducked a smack in the head from Derek after the alpha gave him a room key.  
Jamie was laughing as well, biting her lip to try and stifle it.  
"He's gotta talk like that because he's never had the chance to do it with anyone else." Jake shrugged, sitting across from Jamie.  
Stiles held up a hand, motioned a waiter over, and took a glass from his tray, thanking him politely. He then turned back to face the table, put his hand down, and raised his brow. "That's what you think." He smirked, taking a sip from the glass. "Sorry, I needed to sip something since I didn't have any tea close by." He smiled sweetly, fist bumping Jamie, who was giggling quietly.  
When Stiles saw Derek's expression, however, he bit his lip and stared at the table, bringing the glass to his lips again.  
"Ooh, unknown backstory _and_ he's drinking alcohol." Jacob stage whispered, stifling a grunt after what Stiles could only presume was Jamie kicking him under the table.  
"I'm just trying to get even with him after his revealed night with a dude and the time in the forest." Stiles shrugged, maintaining eye contact with Derek as he tipped the glass back and finished it.  
"I thought you were over that. I even let you win a tickle fight and sleep on top of me." Derek huffed, flagging down a waiter and taking his own glass of champagne.  
"Excuse me, Derek Hale? Letting someone sleep with him?" Jacob made a face, exchanging looks with Jamie.  
"I stay over a lot. He can't keep his hands off me, the pack's even noticed." Stiles said proudly, cringing slightly at Derek's cough of surprise. "Yeah, hey. Scott told me." He smiled sheepishly, shrinking down a bit in the chair.  
"I know. Scott told your dad and he had a conversation with me about personal space and appropriate affection." Derek mumbled, taking a swig of the champagne. "I just didn't know you knew."  
"So you're telling me," Stiles put a hand up, his expression dripping with sass, "that I could have been hugging you and hanging all over you at pack events. And both you and Scott decided not to tell me?" Stiles crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Derek. "I think I want a divorce."  
Derek smirked and took another drink offered to him, taking a sip. "I'd be happy to leave you in Canada, Stiles. Just say the word."  
The teen scowled at him and stood up, picking up his room key. "I'm going upstairs. I just came out here to your furry convention to help you, and here you are, attacking me, when I have done _nothing_ to hurt you. You leave me alone in the woods, tickle me, let some stranger hold Derek Jr. I'm appalled. This isn't the Derek Hale I know." Stiles huffed, pushing his chair in. "Good night, Jamie. Alpha douchecanoe." He smiled sweetly at Jamie, and less so at Jacob, before heading off towards the elevators.  
Derek rolled his eyes and turned to yell the room number to Stiles. "The room is-"  
"203! I know!" Stiles waved his hand in Derek's general direction as he walked away. The alpha groaned softly and stood. "He's getting on the wrong elevator. See you tomorrow." He patted Jake on the shoulder and waved at Jamie before jogging over to Stiles. He grabbed the teen's waist before he stepped on the elevator. "Wrong lift, sweet cheeks." He murmured, turning Stiles towards the correct set. He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest as he let the alpha lead him over.  
They stayed silent until they entered the elevator. The second the doors shut, Derek had Stiles crowded into a corner, pinning the teen's arms to his side. "Do you really have to be this way? We just got here." He growled. Stiles gave him a completely unphased look as he shrugged. "What the hell is your problem?"  
"Nothing that concerns you, Derek. Don't worry your pretty little head about me." Stiles mumbled, pulling his wrists from Derek's grip when the doors opened. "Go back down and hang out with your friends. I'm showering and going to sleep." Stiles mumbled, swiping the key card in the slot for their room.  
"Stiles..." Derek weakly reached for him, but the teen pulled his hand away. "You got to clean last night. Let me shower in peace." He mumbled, shutting the door in Derek's face.  
Stiles closed his eyes and slid down the door, his shirt riding up his back in the process. He closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands, taking a deep, shaky breath. At the sound of a key in the slot he jumped to his feet, whirling around to face Derek. His hand up and mouth open to tell him off, Stiles was caught off guard when the werewolf swept him into a hug.  
Stiles' eyes were burning as he struggled against Derek's chest, trying to get away. "Stop it, no. You wouldn't let me last night. Let go of me, Derek." Stiles hit his fist against Derek's chest, the first tear falling down his cheek.  
"I heard what you were saying to Jamie. I'm not leaving you, Stiles." Derek mumbled, cupping the back of Stiles' neck.  
"Liar. You don't know what we were talking about. You were too busy talking to your mancrush." Stiles finally gave up struggling, letting Derek pull him in to a tight hug.  
"I asked him not to talk while we brought the things upstairs. I kept myself focused on you so I could make sure nothing happened." He murmured, the hand at the base of Stiles' neck moving to comb through the teen's hair. "I can't believe you think I'd do that to you." He whispered, picking Stiles up and carrying him to the bed. He laid down with the teen, keeping him close to his body, almost cradling him. "I don't let people in to my life like I've let you just to throw them away, Stiles. I don't let people into my life with nearly an eighth of how I've let you with the intent of leaving them." Derek's chest was tight as he ran Stiles' words through his head again, mentally taking note of everything he'd done wrong in the past week that could make him think that and stored it for later. Right now was about Stiles, his own demons could wait.  
"I'm allowed to be scared of this, Derek. I'm only human. I have feelings. I get scared. No one lets me talk to them and listens like you do. Everyone shares their shit with me, I'm used to that. But no one ever listens like you do, and I'm scared of losing that. I'm scared of losing the safety you offer, losing the person who actually gives me attention in a room full of people when I'm used to being the person left out of everything. I don't want to lose the one person that believes I'm smart, that makes an effort to help me when I'm down instead of ignoring me." Stiles closed his eyes, slipping his hands underneath Derek's shirt and wrapping his arms around the werewolf's body, pressing his face against his chest. "I'm scared of you not having anyone to talk to if you leave me. Of you trying to look for someone else and having your heart shredded to pieces again. I'm scared I won't be what you need me to be, and I'm scared that's already happening." Stiles' voice dropped to a whisper, a few sobs stunting words or cutting off a sentence.  
Derek tightened his arms, trying to pull the teen closer, his chest going from a tight feeling to seizing with emotion. He didn't like this, he didn't like being open, he didn't like emotions out on display. But Stiles did, he knew the teen craved it, and he could hold him through this.  
"It isn't." Derek whispered, keeping his grip solid around the teen's torso. 

They laid in silence for a while, Stiles crying into Derek's chest, Derek holding him close.  
"Can I shower, please?" Stiles asked softly, lifting his head to look up at the werewolf. Stiles being Stiles, he cracked a small smile as he spoke. "You can join me, if you like."  
Derek chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to Stiles' forehead. "Not after you've been like this. It won't do anything to help your mental state."  
"I don't know, it would be a welcome distraction." Stiles smiled weakly, nuzzling his face against Derek's neck. The alpha wasn't sure if the lips brushing against his skin were intentional or not.  
"Please don't argue with me about this. I know it will be a distraction that only causes more problems." He murmured, massaging the teen's scalp. Stiles groaned softly, relaxing against Derek. "And you smell. I won't hold you much longer if you don't shower."  
"Bartering. See? My fears are founded." Stiles mumbled as he sat up.  
Derek grabbed his wrist, his gut twisting. "Please don't joke with me about that, Stiles. Not after what I heard you say downstairs." His own voice was tight, and Stiles turned around, kissing Derek's cheek, letting his lips linger against the skin longer than necessary. "We need to go to therapy, or something." He mumbled, eyes falling shut.  
"I'll look into it, Stiles. A shower will make you feel better." Derek brushed a thumb over Stiles' cheek, sighing softly. "We are acting pretty unhealthy, aren't we?" 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Stiles woke up the next morning to an empty bed and the smell of pancakes, his favorite and Derek's least. "What's going on?" He sat up on the bed, rubbing his eyes and yawning.  
"I didn't wake up in time to bake you anything, so I ordered room service." Derek explained, grabbing his wallet to tip the server that brought up their food. "No! Let me at least tip. You don't like pancakes." Stiles stumbled over to his jacket, trying to grab his wallet.  
"No, no, it's my treat." Derek grabbed Stiles' waist as he made to hand the server a tip, holding the teen close to his body. "I covered it, you're good. Don't spend your money on food." He murmured, waiting until the door shut to press his face in the crook of Stiles' neck, his arm tightening around his waist. "You need to eat up so you don't get hungry today and wander away from me." He whispered, nuzzling the other side of Stiles' neck, rubbing his side soothingly.  
"I've never seen you get territorial before." Stiles closed his eyes, leaning his head back against Derek's shoulder.  
The alpha let out a soft whine at the sight of Stiles baring his neck to him, keeping himself under control as he forced himself to just nuzzle against the skin. No teeth, no tongue, no lips. Scenting _pack_ , not mate. _Not yet._  
"What are-" Stiles took in a sharp breath as Derek ran his hand up his abdomen before gripping his throat briefly. "What are my rules for today? So I don't stress you out?"  
"Eat first, business later." Derek nuzzled his nose behind Stiles' ear before releasing him. "I'm going to go get dressed." He murmured, squeezing Stiles' shoulder before stepping into the bathroom.  
"Glad you're done feeling me up. The one morning I wake up without wood, and you do this." Stiles muttered, yelping as something hit him in the back of the head. A _towel_.  
"Clean up after yourself if you're going to take care of it." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't feel like adding smut to this work just yet, I felt it would compromise the feel of what I've got going on, so I wrote the scene in a [separate work](archiveofourown.org/works/11609208) for those who want to read it.  
> It is masturbation with imagined scenes, absolutely no underage sex outside of what Stiles is imagining, because I'm not about that life. Have fun.
> 
>  
> 
> Jacob Andirei, alpha of the Andirei pack. His mate and emissary is Jamie Andirei. Legally married, local to the Banff region. Their pack and the Hales have always been close. They inhabit the area around Calgary, Alberta, which is why Derek was so familiar with the territory in Banff national park.


	7. “Come here.  Let me fix it.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **One Hundred Ways to Say ‘I Love You’**   
>  _4\. “Come here. Let me fix it.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Time Elapsed:** About 20 minutes  
>  **Chapter Specific Warnings:** vulgar language, minor anxiety attack  
>     
> [OCs introduced this chapter](archiveofourown.org/works/11359143/chapters/26003097#chapter_7_endnotes)
> 
> Thank you to the wonderful [aristosachaiov on Tumblr](http://www.aristosachaiov.tumblr.com) for allowing me to use [one of their text posts](http://aristosachaiov.tumblr.com/post/163064628967/stiles-i-made-you-a-friendship-bracelet-derek) for this chapter!

"Thanks for the towel. Where's a dirty clothes pile for house keeping?" Stiles asked as Derek exited the bathroom. The teen was in a pair of boxers, noisily stuffing his face with pancakes. "And also, how should I dress today? I have dress clothes and comfy clothes."  
"Go for nice clothes today. I think we're staying inside for some conferences and work shops. We will have to split up at some point, and Jamie said she'd be happy to stick with you." Derek grabbed the towel from the bed, dropping it in a clothes hamper in the closet before grabbing Stiles a nice button down shirt and slacks.  
"Why do we have to split up?" Stiles asked quietly, putting his pants on first. He stayed close to Derek's side, the prospect of having to split up in a building with most likely nothing but other werewolves made him extremely nervous. He trusted Jamie, that wasn't the problem, it was the reminder of Derek saying some werewolves were the same about homosexuality as some humans, and that human emissaries were often given a hard time.  
"We don't have to if you aren't comfortable with it." Derek murmured, leaning over to nuzzle against Stiles' temple before he went to the kitchenette and grabbed a bottled water for each of them from the fridge. The teen bit his lip as he buttoned up his shirt, mulling over the idea.  
"Can we have a code word I can text you if I get too uncomfortable?" Stiles asked quietly, joining Derek in the kitchenette, cuddling up to his side. The alpha wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him in to a hug for some extra comfort he knew Stiles needed right now. "Sure. What's it going to be?" Derek set the water bottles on the counter behind Stiles before wrapping an arm around his waist, the other lightly massaging his upper back.  
"Uhm, how about 'pepper'?"  
"That sounds easy enough to remember. Is that a high level panic word? As in I need to drop everything and run to get you?"  
"Sure. And maybe a low level, I need to leave before it gets bad word could be 'salty'. I could easily work that into a normal text." Stiles closed his eyes, slowly melting against Derek, nudging his nose against the alpha's neck. "Hey, can I scent you? Does it work that way, too?"  
"I don't see why you'd need to, as lone emissaries don't come to the event, but if you want to, I can tell you how." Derek chuckled, running his fingers through the teen's hair.  
"I'd like to." Stiles grinned, squeezing Derek's waist as he nuzzled his face against his chest.  
"Usually it's all around the neck, but I've noticed many emissaries usually go for hands and torso, as well." Derek murmured, looking down at Stiles with a small smirk. "You seem to already be pretty fond of that."  
"It must be in my blood. I was made to be your bitch." Stiles grinned, rubbing his hands up and down Derek's sides, nuzzling against Derek's upper body with his face.  
"Shouldn't I be the bitch in this relationship?" Derek's eyes were twinkling again, and Stiles laughed as his heart seized at the gorgeous sight of the alpha smiling in such a pure manner.  
"I don't know. Who acts like a puppy and trails after the other?" Stiles asked, his hands moving to Derek's shoulders as he started nuzzling his face against the werewolf's neck, allowing his lips to graze the skin there occasionally.  
Derek moved his own hand to cup the back of Stiles' neck, humming happily at the attention, fingers kneading over the flesh in the teen's neck. He was in hog heaven, absolutely basking in the attention. Derek knew he kept his obsession with touching Stiles under a very thin veil that did nothing to actually hide it. What he did keep under wraps was his own affinity towards being touched. He was an absolute slut for it, especially when it was Stiles. He loved gentle touches, absent-minded brushing shoulders or patterns being traced on his hand or thigh. He loved how Stiles constantly invaded his personal space and pressed against him, especially when they were sitting on a couch that could easily accommodate the two of them, but Stiles still sat flush against him.  
The teen finished at his neck, much to Derek's disappointment. Next were his hands, which the alpha was just expecting Stiles to hold for a bit. Instead he turned to lean his back against Derek's chest. He grabbed his left hand first and began massaging his palm, fingers working at the tension Derek wasn't aware he harbored there. Stiles' fingers were absolutely magical, rubbing along tendons and soothing his knuckles. He finished with a nuzzle and kiss to Derek's palm, wrapping the arm loosely around his neck, setting the hand to rest on his right shoulder. Derek's right hand received the same attention before it was wrapped around Stiles' body, placed to hold his waist. "Were you done scenting me earlier?" Stiles was asking the question as a suggestion, and Derek chuckled quietly, leaning down and nuzzling his nose against the teen's cheek.  
"I guess I wasn't." He murmured, tightening his arm just slightly around Stiles' neck, squeezing his shoulder. The hand holding his hip slid under the shirt the teen was wearing and Derek began rubbing over his torso, nudging his nose against Stiles' neck. He may be scenting the teen, but he was taking the time to breathe in Stiles' own scent, basking in his presence. The teen was gripping Derek's arm that was wrapped loosely around his neck, squeezing occasionally. His eyes were shut and he was relaxed against Derek, feeling almost drunk off the touches, completely pliant to any shifts the alpha made. Derek was drunk in his own way, the overwhelming presence that was everything _Stiles_ making his senses a bit fuzzy. He'd heard of this, werewolves getting scent drunk off of their mate, completely content in everything about them.  
No matter how distracted he could get, the alpha was still as punctual as he could possibly be. Damn him. "We're gonna be late." Derek mumbled as he glanced over at the stove clock. It was 08:48 and the first conference started at 09:00. Stiles simply hummed in response, not really paying attention to what was being said to him. Derek forced himself to stop touching, his arms sliding from under Stiles' shirt and from around his neck. "You need to finish getting ready." He murmured, chuckling at the teen's pout and pitiful noise of protest at the attention stopping. "Come on, I'll be touching you whenever I can today. You need to get prettied up so I can show you off and prove I've got the best emissary."  
Stiles grunted, still leaning heavily against Derek. "But I'm comfortable right no-Derek!" Stiles shrieked and stumbled away, hands up in offense to keep any more ticklish touches from reaching his sides. "How dare you?"  
"You need to get ready so we can sit with Jake and Jamie." Derek laughed quietly, unabashedly amused at Stiles' look of betrayal. The teen gave him a playful glare and flipped him off before childishly stomping off to the bathroom. Derek shook his head, smiling stupidly like the fool in love that he was, and put his shoes on. Stiles was silent when he came out five minutes later, hair brushed and shirt buttoned up completely. He sat beside Derek on the bed and put his own shoes on before looking over at the alpha. "You ready?"  
"Are you? You're the living legend, 'Derek Hale's emissary'." Derek chuckled.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Werewolves have our own sort of tabloids, only accessible if we're invited. It's a system to keep humans and hunters out." Derek unlocked his phone and opened an app, sighing quietly as a headline pulled up. _"Derek Hale Finally Tied Down?"_  
"One of their reporters apparently saw us last night and snapped a few photos before writing an article rivalling the poor skills of most tabloids humans write."  
"I've never been in a tabloid before. What's it say?"  
"Nothing worth reading." Derek mumbled, closing out the app before Stiles could start reading it.  
"So it shit talks me? Derek, I couldn't care less. But I would like to know the accusations that are going to be thrown at myself or the both of us today."  
"It says what you'd expect anyone who doesn't know us to say. I'm a pedophile, I'm taking advantage of you, and you're just an airhead pretty boy I take everywhere to show off. And I don't want to go into the comments about you being human." The alpha sighed, leaning over and nudging his nose against Stiles' temple before pressing a kiss there.  
"Okay. That's honestly not as bad as what I was expecting to hear about myself. But if I hear anyone call you a pedophile to my face I will personally tear them down and rip the carpet from beneath their shitty opinions and false accusations." Stiles mumbled, pressing his face against Derek's neck and sighing quietly.  
"Please don't call Jake a douchecanoe today. You don't have to call him alpha, but I don't want the journalists here to have any ammo to use against you."  
"I'll try to restrain myself." Stiles smiled, pressing a small kiss to Derek's neck before standing up. "Let's get going! I'm ready to face the haters!"  
Derek smiled and laughed quietly, standing with Stiles. He grabbed both of their room keys before following the teen out the door and to the elevators. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

"That wasn't too bad." Stiles whispered in an attempted humorous fashion to Derek as he sat down at a table towards the front of the venue between him and Jamie.  
The alpha growled quietly, not in the mood to discuss the looks and whispered comments he was happy Stiles hadn't been able to hear as they'd walked through the lobby.  
Stiles bit his lip and scooted his chair closer to Derek, taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly. "Take your mind off of it. We're here to have a good time, so fuck anyone who wants to try and get in the way of that."  
"I wasn't aware you were that sexually promiscuous." Jacob was attempting to help ease the tension, but where Stiles smirked, Derek only levelled a scathing look on Jacob. "Now is not the time."  
"Oh, come on, Der. It was almost as good as the dick jokes I make." Stiles smiled, setting his chin on the alpha's shoulder and smiling at him. Derek offered a half-assed growl in response, ducking his head to try and hide a smile. Stiles smirked and poked him in the side. "I see you smiling. I see it. You better not hide from me or I'm gonna sleep on the couch tonight and take all of the blankets from the bed." He kept poking Derek, his own smile growing as the werewolf's did. "Come on, almost there! I want to see that smile right this second!"  
"That's cute, and almost too gay for me to be able to sit at the table." An admittedly gorgeous female sat at the table. Her place tag read 'Abilene Amara'. A man that looked roughly the same age sat beside her, his tag reading 'Zachary Amara'. She was smiling, the humor evident in her voice, no sign of ill judgement or disgust towards the two.  
"You didn't tell me super attractive people were going to be sitting with us. I already feel bad for not bringing Jamie a flower or something, but this is just _unfair_." Stiles stage whispered to Derek, who rolled his eyes and shook his head, smiling at the adorable stupidity that Stiles embodied.  
"Super attractive? Honey, I look downright _gorgeous_ today." Abilene pretended to brush dust from her shoulders, lips pursing into a sassy expression.  
"Oh, please forgive me. Of course, downright gorgeous is a much more accurate term." Stiles readily agreed, meeting her gaze. The two of them laughed together, and Stiles stood so he could shake her hand over the table. "Hello, my name is Stiles Stilinski. Are you Alpha Abilene of the Amara pack?"  
"Yes, I am." She smiled warmly, shaking Stiles' hand. "And this is my mate and emissary, Zachary."  
Stiles shook his hand, offering the same smile he'd offered Abilene. "You both make a gorgeous couple. I'm pleasantly surprised at how attractive everyone at this table is." He commented as he sat back down, taking Derek's hand and interlocking their fingers.  
"Do any of you know where alpha and emissary Franshe are?" Zachary asked after reading the names on the place holders between Derek and himself.  
"Brendon and Natalie don't usually come to any event before 10:30. They prefer sleeping in." Jacob supplied, glancing up from his phone. A bell at the front of the room rang and the room fell into silence as a group of five werewolves made their way onstage to sit at a table.  
"Please don't make any noises of boredom or disgust, this is something you probably won't enjoy or understand." Derek whispered to Stiles, squeezing his hand.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"I don't know why you thought I'd think that was boring. I love hearing statistics, Derek. I like hearing about things I've never heard about before. Like the fact everyone here puts aside any and all differences to work together to keep track of hunters? That's fascinating. I wonder what the Argents would do if they knew the entire community knew their numbers and whereabouts." Stiles was animated, his eyes alight as he kept talking. "And even the sort of mundane things, like territory disputes being resolved or petitions to put ahead your own laws? That's seriously cool. I need to find some way to find out all of these legal procedures werewolves have, it's honestly so amazing. I could almost imagine them in white powdered wigs and talking in posh British accents because of how much it reminded me of a video of a reenactment of old American parliament I saw in my APUSH class last year."  
"It's nice to see someone at the table wasn't fighting back yawns the entire time." Jacob chuckled, bumping shoulders with Derek. "Are you sure you can leave him for an hour while we're at the InfoAlpha™ meeting?" He teased slightly. Derek rolled his eyes and slid his arm around Stiles' shoulders. "I don't know, dude. He kinda keeps me alive at this point."  
"Oh, shut up and go be with douchecanoe in your alpha meeting. I want some time with Jamie." Stiles was trying to play off how nervous he felt about separating from Derek, especially after the looks they'd been receiving both on the way to and during the panel. The alpha saw right through the disguise, however, and leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek. "Jamie is perfectly capable of kicking ass if need be, and I know you can handle yourself. You can also text me if anything goes wrong." Derek whispered, sliding his hand to grip the back of Stiles' neck, giving him a reassuring squeeze.  
"I hate to interrupt, but if it helps any, I will stick with you during this time, as well." Zachary offered, smiling politely at the two.  
"I'd like that, thank you." Derek said softly, brushing his thumb up Stiles' neck before releasing him. "Give it a go. I know you'll have a good time." He murmured. "My ringer is on."  
Stiles nodded and reluctantly let go of Derek's hand before taking a deep breath. "I can handle a few nosy and rude werewolves." He said with absolute false confidence, more for Derek's benefit than his own.

He was right, he could handle any looks and sneers sent his way with a brave face and false confidence, but he knew Jamie and Zachary could feel the anxiety rolling off of him in waves.  
"You know what? I don't want to go to the Emissary panel we're scheduled for. There's a speaking event from emissaries on acceptance and working together in our community. I think we should all go there instead." Jamie had stopped and pulled the two of them into an area with less foot traffic. "I'm down for that, but I want to tell Derek." Stiles nodded, glancing over at Zachary. "But only if you're willing to. I don't want us all to split after you volunteered to stick with us."  
"Let's do it. I like a little spontaneity." Zachary smiled, following Jamie as she lead the way to a large ball room. They sat at a table in the back that had no place markers on it. Stiles was tapping his fingers against the table, trying to channel his anxiety into something physical, his breathing even going a bit uneven.  
"It's insensitive for me to say, I know, but your tapping is driving me insane." Jamie sighed, pulling something from her purse. "So I'm going to give you something else to do with your hands."  
Stiles' cheeks turned a soft pink color as he took his hand from the table, tapping it against his thigh as he waited for Jamie to tell him whatever it was.  
"Can you braid?"  
"Yeah. Why?"  
"Make some bracelets, or necklaces, or anklets, or something. Put yourself to work if you need something to do with your hands." Jamie's expression was kind and understanding as she offered Stiles the iridescent string, a few clasps, and a pocket knife. He smiled weakly and pulled out 3 lengths of the string about a foot long each.  
He set to work braiding the pieces, his eyes focused on the project at hand but still listening to the people speaking. He couldn't look up, didn't trust himself, but with every story he was tearing up, even crying.  
The second he heard the words 'hunters destroyed my pack', however, Stiles' attention snapped up to focus on the emissary speaking. She had burn marks on half of her face, obviously blind in the eye that side of her face if the dull gray look it had wasn't evidence enough.  
"They started slowly, picking off members of my pack one by one whenever they were out. It put us on edge, stressing out each and every one of us. In four months we'd been reduced from 70 members to 27. No matter what precautions we took, going out in groups of two and three at a time, it stopped nothing. They began taking out small pockets, patrol groups of five and six. When it was just my alpha and 8 others left, I called a friend. I couldn't let my alpha's arrogance wipe us out. But I was too late. The second I got off the phone-" She stopped and turned away from the microphone in front of her, but even Stiles could hear the broken sob from across the room. "-they were there. They were everywhere. And the fire, the heat..." She covered her mouth again, eyes squeezing shut. "My friend, she and her pack got there in time to save me and a member of my pack. The amount of support I received from emissaries everywhere, of the offers sent my way to join packs or simply live among them, it showed me just how close we truly are." She ducked her head down, smiling as another sob was pulled from her body, a hand moving to cover her mouth. She motioned to an emissary at the side of the stage who came up to finish for her. "Emissary Cheville was offered a place by over 50 packs, and hundreds came out to help her bury and mourn what members of her pack we could find. All others were memorialized and keep a special place in our hearts. We are still working to help her and her new alpha, the last two remaining members of the Cheville pack to rebuild and regrow their pack." The man set an arm on her shoulders. "Emissary Amanda Cheville is a spokesperson for our initiative to grow emissaries closer with each other as she can account for the kindness available between packs in even the most devastating of times."  
There was quiet, morose clapping across the room. But Stiles was rooted to the spot, tears rolling freely down his cheeks as he stared at the woman whose story had just been told. She'd lost almost everything, but still came and spoke in front of people to encourage and speak of the work they could all do together to help each other.  
Stiles was so busy thinking and marvelling at this idea that he missed an evidently vital piece of information. He was thrown back into reality by a spotlight shining on his face and a room full of people looking at him expectantly. He swallowed nervously and shrank down in the chair. "I wasn't paying attention, I'm sorry. I was, her story, it-I..."  
"Just say hello. They're introducing new emissaries to the room." Jamie murmured, smiling in slight amusement.  
Stiles cleared his throat nervously and waved to the room, ducking his head down a bit. "Hi. U-Uhm, I'm Emissary Stiles of the Hale pack." He said nervously, ducking down as several people seemed to be intrigued at this certain piece of information. Thankfully whoever was running the lights pulled the light from him and moved to another table and emissary, leaving Stiles to hide his face in his hands as he struggled to steady his breathing again.  
"You did good. I could barely say my name when they called me out my first time in here." Jamie hugged Stiles from the side, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. Stiles nodded and pulled out his phone so he could send a text to Derek. 

**Stiles:** They just called me out in this meetting. people looked pretty salty.  
**Sourwolf:** Give me 2 minutes. IDK where your room is.  
**Stiles:** Thhank you 

Stiles set his phone down and did his best to look at everyone who was introduced and ignore the fact that everyone he made eye contact with that had been staring at him gave him some form of a dirty look and wouldn't break eye contact.  
"Emissary Stiles, your alpha is outside of the room and says he needs to speak with you." A female convention worker had walked up behind him, scaring the actual living hell out of Stiles. He covered his face in embarrassment and took a steadying breath before he stood, following her out. He kept his eyes trained on the ground as he walked, trying to ignore the burning feeling of several pairs of eyes boring into his back.  
"Stiles?" Derek's voice was an honest Godsend and Stiles just pressed himself against his alpha's torso, eyes closing. "C-Can we go someway-somewhere private?" The teen was stuttering horribly, words jumbling as they attempted to make their way from his brain and out of his mouth. The werewolf led him to an empty banquet hall and shut the door, enveloping Stiles in a hug.  
"What happened?"  
"I-I can... can't-" Stiles shook his head, groaning in frustration. "The w-words aren't... Mnph!" The teen covered his face with his hands, trying to take a deep breath as he started shaking. He'd made a complete fool of himself in there. He couldn't even introduce himself. They were going to think he really was an airhead, spacing out like he did. And how _stupid_ he'd sounded when he finally made himself talk? He was a fucking idiot. And the stares, the stares were what completely ruined it for him. He could deal with looking like an imbecile, but being glared at and watching people whisper and snicker while glancing at him? It was as bad as school had been, as it sometimes still was. He shouldn't be here, he was going to make Derek look bad, hell, he already had made him look bad after the shitshow in that room.  
Stiles could vaguely hear Derek trying to say something. He shouldn't be treating the alpha like this, shouldn't be subjecting him to this. Derek didn't deserve this.  
"I'm sorry." Stiles shook his head, pushing Derek's hands away. He turned to exit the hall, but those arms slid around his waist and pulled him flush against the alpha's chest. An arm around his chest to grab his shoulder, the other wrapping across his torso and grabbing his waist. A broken sob escaped Stiles' mouth as his resolve crumbled, digging his fingers into Derek's arms that were holding him up. "I shouldn't be here. I d-don..." The teen groaned again, words refusing to leave his mouth properly or when he wanted them to. "I don't belong here."  
The alpha behind him let out a deep, primal growl that shook Stiles to his core. The sobs stopped, but the shaking only got worse, his oxygen intake worsening as the idea of Derek being mad with him tore through the center of his being.  
"Don't say that." His voice was lower than normal, closer, probably right against Stiles' ear, if he could get his brain to get into action and process everything around him. "You are my emissary, the _Hale Pack Emissary_ , Stiles. You do belong here. You belong here to represent me, our pack, and yourself. You are a valuable person; member." Derek gently turned the teen around in his arms, let him hide his face against his chest. "You are so very important, a key part of who I am and what our pack represents."  
"Can we please just go to the room? I can't... Someone could walk in. I can't do this. I need, I need to be away from it for a bit." Stiles' voice was strained, his shaking wasn't as bad as it had been, but that wasn't stopping Derek from getting Stiles what he needed. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Derek and Stiles came down from their room to have lunch with the Andirei's and and Amara's at a restaurant a few blocks from the hotel called [Pony Corral](http://www.ponycorral.ca).  
About halfway through the meal, Jamie made an excited noise and grabbed something from her purse and handed it to Stiles, nudging his shoulder and looking at Derek pointedly.  
[Stiles bit his lip, cheeks turning a rosy pink as he glanced over at Derek. He and everyone at the table were watching Stiles and Jamie expectantly. "U-Uhm, I made you a bracelet earlier." He said weakly, offering it to Derek.](aristosachaiov.tumblr.com/post/163064628967/stiles-i-made-you-a-friendship-bracelet-derek)  
[Derek smiled slightly, taking it from Stiles and fumbling with the clasp as he tried to put it on. "You know I'm not really a jewelery person." He mumbled, finally getting it to fasten.](aristosachaiov.tumblr.com/post/163064628967/stiles-i-made-you-a-friendship-bracelet-derek)  
[Stiles' face went pale and he stared at the table, picking at his nails. "You don't have to wear it if you don't wan-"](aristosachaiov.tumblr.com/post/163064628967/stiles-i-made-you-a-friendship-bracelet-derek)  
["No. I'm wearing it forever. Back off." Derek cut him off, looking slightly offended.](aristosachaiov.tumblr.com/post/163064628967/stiles-i-made-you-a-friendship-bracelet-derek) "You can't take something like this back. If anything, I expect for you to have a matching one soon."  
Stiles' face went pinker than it had been when Jamie pulled it from her purse, unable to hide the huge grin on his face.  
"Honestly, I can't believe you think I'd turn down anything you make me, unless it's pancakes." Derek huffed, wrapping an arm around Stiles' shoulders and pulling him in for a hug. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Later that evening, Derek and Stiles were in their hotel room cuddling on the bed, watching a movie on Derek's laptop. He'd gotten up to go to the restroom, and when he came back he had a dejected look on his face as he held the bracelet out to Stiles. "It broke..."  
Stiles couldn't help but smile at how upset Derek looked at the bracelet breaking. "Come here. Let me fix it.”  
Two minutes later the clasps were off and Stiles had secured it in a double knot to Derek's wrist before burning the thread to keep it from unraveling and coming off again.  
"I like it like this more. It's more secure, more final, less likely to break and get lost." He'd said quietly before pulling Stiles back onto his chest and retiring the laptop to the bedside table in favor of combing through the teen's hair so he could get to sleep.  
  
  
  
  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OCs introduced in this chapter:
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>  **Abilene and Zachary Amara** \- African American alpha and emissary, with Abilene one of the scarce alpha females. They are from Virginia, their pack inhabiting the area on the peninsula from Kiptopeke to Bloxom. She wears her hair natural, a fro that perfectly accents her as a person. Her emissary, Zachary, keeps his head shaved.  
>  **Amanda Cheville** \- An emissary who inhabits the area of Godley, Texas with the last remaining member of her pack, who the alpha gene was transferred to after their pack was slaughtered by hunters. Both of them have severe burn marks from a fire fueled by wolfsbane infused molotov cocktails thrown by a group of hunters that go by the monicker of Bloodred Roses, known for their cowardly techniques in hunting the paranormal.


	8. “I’ll walk you home.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick note, as a sorry in advance. To be able to stick with these prompts I had to skip the rest of the week at that convention. If I ever do decide to write the rest of it, I will make a note in a later chapter linking back here with a link to the added portion. I don't know if any of you cared or wanted me to finish that event, but on the off chance someone did, I made this note.  
> Thank y'all.
> 
>  
> 
>  **Time elapsed:** One week  
>  ~~ **Chapter Specific Warnings:** sickeningly sweet moments ~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **One Hundred Ways to Say ‘I Love You’**   
>  _5\. “I’ll walk you home.”_

Stiles woke up in the Camaro, his neck stiff from sleeping in an awkward position. He turned to look at Derek, eyes bleary from his nap, and his throat scratchy from the filtered AC he'd been breathing in.  
"Good, you're up. We're about to reach the border." Derek murmured, eyes soft as he looked at the teen. Stiles' heart did that stupid constricting thing it had started doing whenever Derek would look at him now. Instead of saying the super intelligent and normal thing he'd had been planning, the only thing to escape his mouth when he opened it was an admittedly disgusting burp. Stiles closed his mouth quickly, staring at Derek. About a second of silence passed between them before they both started laughing, Stiles trying to shove the embarrassment wracking through him somewhere deep because Derek was doing that thing where his eyes crinkled when he laughed and he wanted to focus more on that than how stupid he'd just looked.  
"Where's your passport?" Derek was slightly breathless, the two of them to the point where if they looked at each other they'd start giggling at the situation, the amusement contagious between them. "And please don't burp again. I don't speak that language." Derek barely managed to get the sentence out as he and Stiles started laughing again. The teen took a deep, steadying breath, presumably getting ready to speak, but the second they made eye contact he and Derek started laughing again. Stiles tried to speak three more times before he was finally able to, his abs burning from the laughter. "It's in the trunk. I forgot to grab it before we packed everything up when we left Jamie's."  
"You're in luck. Not only do I need to pee, but there's a gas station up ahead we can stop at." 

Derek pulled into a parking space outside of the station and popped his trunk for Stiles before he got out. "Be back soon."  
"Try not to make a mess!" Stiles teasingly called after him, making his way around to the trunk. He grabbed his passport and wallet before opening Derek's bag, set on finding a henley he'd stolen a few times this week.  
"Is this vandalism?" Derek's voice was right behind Stiles, but he kept rooting through the werewolf's bag, biting his lip.  
"I assume you're looking for-" Derek opened Stiles' duffel and grabbed the henley he'd been searching for, smirking. "-this?"  
The teen grabbed it, grinning, and pulled it on, closing his eyes and sighing happily.  
"Is this going to become a thing, you stealing my clothes?" Derek chuckled, leaning forward to shut the trunk.  
Stiles hummed, arms slipping around Derek's neck as he pressed a quick kiss to the werewolf's lips. They both smiled at each other, taking a second to savor the moment, when Derek leaned forward and gave Stiles another kiss, this one lasting significantly longer, the teen leaning into him as he slid an arm around his waist. When they pulled apart Stiles' cheeks were flushed and his eyes were twinkling. "I kind of don't want to go back. We can't really do this because everyone is always watching us." The teen murmured, resting his forehead against Derek's.  
"Who says we can't do this when we get back?" The werewolf frowned, arm loosening a bit around Stiles' waist. At the hurt look on his face, the teen shook his head, trying to keep him from moving away. "N-No! I didn't mean that. But before you wouldn't even touch me around the pack, you knew they knew we were... close, but you didn't tell me or change anything. I didn't think you'd want to, that's all."  
"Are you sure that's it?" Derek asked quietly, pressing another kiss to Stiles' lips.  
The teen sighed happily, leaning forward to kiss him again before they pulled apart. "I'm sure. I wasn't looking forward to having to keep myself from touching you."  
"Good." Derek released a breath he didn't know he was holding, smiling at Stiles. "Maybe not the kissing, though? I'm not a huge fan of PDA in front of people, especially with the people in the pack that I know would take pictures."  
"That's good with me." The radiance of Stiles' smile rivalled that of the sun, no matter how cliche it sounded. Derek was going to stand by that comparison. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Don't worry. I'll walk you home. There's just something we need to do real quick." Derek opened the door to the loft for Stiles, smirking.  
"Surprise!" A chorus of voice greeted them as they entered. The teen yelped and stepped backwards, a hand flinging out to grab Derek's chest. The werewolf laughed quietly, patting Stiles' hand that was fisting his shirt. Laura had accidentally blown the surprise to him when asking for a house key. "It's alright. It's just everyone we know scaring the shit out of you."  
Scott was the first to run over, scooping Stiles up in a hug, holding him close. "I missed you and your stupid dick jokes. I was stuck with Isaac for a week. Don't ever do that to me again!"  
Stiles laughed as he hugged his friend back. "I was stuck with a grumpy werewolf and surrounded by angsty alphas all week. Who really had it worse?"  
"Grumpy, huh?" Derek perked his brow, easily catching Laura and hugging her as she launched herself at him.  
"I'm standing by what I said." Smiles smirked, ducking beneath Isaac's arm as he made to hug him, laughing at the dejected expression it got him, and then hugging him tight.  
"Then I want my sweater back."  
"Never. It's mine, now." Stiles grinned, dodging Derek's attempt to grab his arm and running over to Lydia and Jackson. He flung himself between the two of them, using their bodies as a shield as Derek chased him over.  
"Hello, Stiles. Nice to see you after so long. I see nothing's changed." Jackson sighed in good-natured discontempt. Lydia winked at Derek before she stepped away and out of Stiles' grip. The werewolf took the chance to grab him, locking him in a tight hug. "Give me back my clothes."  
"No! Never!" Stiles laughed, reaching for Jackson, who smirked and stepped just out of reach. The teen let out a noise of betrayal, leaning forward again to try and grab him. When he realized the attempts were futile, and that everyone was standing too far away from them, he huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "You guys are mean."  
Most of the pack was too baffled at seeing Derek smiling and holding Stiles, or the fact that said teen was wearing his clothes.  
"Snap out of it. We're in a very gay relationship." Stiles clapped his hands, giving up his struggle to lean against Derek.  
"I wasn't aware we were announcing this." The alpha murmured, smiling slightly. Stiles shrugged, leaning his head back to look up at him. "I thought it would get everyone to stop looking like we've just announced you're the Zodiac killer." He shrugged.  
"I told you we should've gotten the rainbow cake." Allison was the first to break the silence, hitting Lydia in the arm.  
"How was I supposed to know they'd finally pull their heads out of their asses and start dating?" She threw her arms up. She ducked a pillow that Boyd threw. "You didn't tell me they were denying feelings!"  
"You're blind. Even _I_ noticed, and that's saying a lot." Jackson was over by the coffee table, munching on some strawberries from a fruit platter.  
"He's got a point." Erica conceded, smirking over at Stiles and Derek. "They've been pining for each other for a good two or three months that I've noticed."  
"Just be grateful you didn't get daily texts from Stiles abou-"  
The teen jumped on Scott, covering his mouth and shaking his head. His friend easily flipped them, moving away from Stiles. "About how gorgeous and handsome and _dreamy_ and ho-Ah!" Stiles had finally caught up to Scott, tackling him to the ground, trying to cover his mouth. "And all of the pi-Stiles!" His friend started laughing, trying to get away from the teen that was tickling him mercilessly.  


"Was he this rowdy on the trip?"  
Derek nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the Sheriff's voice. I totre him from watching Stiles with what he knew had to have been a disgustingly fond look on his face. "Yes. He kept calling one of my friends a douchecanoe, wouldn't stop the entirety of the convention. But he was also very anxious a lot, a few minor panic attacks." Derek murmured. "I think he's relieved to be out of there and back here with his family."  
"Good. Thank you for proving the trust I placed in you to be worthwhile."  
"Thank you for giving me the chance." Derek was trying to hide the anxiety rolling off of him. Sheriff Stilinski made him nervous, and all the werewolf could do was hope he could prove to the man that he could be good for Stiles.  
"You know I have to say no sex. It's the law enforcer in me." The man was watching Stiles but turned to give Derek a sideways glance, making sure the alpha knew he meant business.  
"Yes sir. I wouldn't do anything that would compromise our relationship. Stiles means too much to me to risk it."  
The Sheriff nodded and pat Derek on the shoulder. "Good answer. Is it the truth, or simply what I want to hear?"  
"It's both, sir." 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Stiles had stayed at Derek's to help clean up the remainder of the mess from the party. He would readily admit that he wanted some private time with Derek, the recent load of social interaction after it being the two of them for over a week was putting a strain on him emotionally.  
"Can we watch a movie, or something?" Stiles asked quietly, not quite ready to head home at the moment.  
"It's almost 1 am, Sti. Your dad's going to be wondering where you are." Derek murmured, wrapping an arm around the teen's waist and pulling him in for a kiss.  
"He said I can stay here tonight if I wanted to because he knew we'd be late cleaning up." Stiles knew his dad was giving him permission for something he'd wanted to ask without even directly saying so, and in a way, giving Stiles the proof of his approval of Derek. "B-But only if you're okay with it. We've been together for over a week and I completely understand if you're wanting to get rid of me, I'd want to. I know I'm kind of a person who can only be handled in small doses, that too much of a good thing is b-"  
The alpha cut Stiles off with a hand over his mouth, smiling fondly. "There's no such thing as too much of you."  
"Are you sure? Because-"  
"Shush. Pick out a movie. I'm gonna go change."  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter feels short, but after writing and reading over the previous update, I realized I was trying to push myself to give too much, that I was allowing quantity to overshadow quality. I didn't like the last chapter as much, which is why I kept this update simple and gentle and to the point.  
> Have a good day, bebs.  
> And be on the lookout for a smut scene from Chapter 6 I will be releasing soon. (:


	9. “Have a good day at work.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Time Elapsed:** Two weeks  
>  **Chapter Specific Warnings:** vulgar language

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **One Hundred Ways to Say ‘I Love You’**   
>  _6\. “Have a good day at work.”_

"Derek, I really don't want to go to work." Stiles pouted, sliding his arms around Derek's waist. They'd stayed at Stiles' house last night as his dad had a rare night off from work and had requested the three of them spend the time together. The Sheriff and Derek were starting to get comfortable around each other, much to Stiles' pleasure. He'd made dinner last night, and every chance he'd had to take a peek in on the two they were talking comfortably. No signs of discomfort coming from Derek. Watching him interact so easily and closely with his dad had Stiles' heart doing it's signature seizing feeling. Life was settling into a nice and comfortable routine, the looming threat of school still a distant thought on Stiles' mind, no matter that registration would be today after work, and the semester started in three weeks. The only thing he had room to worry about was the children he'd be watching today, and everything that could go wrong. 

"What if I change their diapers wrong? Or forget to check? Or use too much baby powder? What if one of them has diarrhea and I throw up and make other kids cry?" Stiles was rattling off scenarios, the anxiety twirling through his body gaining the upper hand. "And food! No one can escape those mothers that demand gluten free snacks! All of the parents can access video cameras in the room! What if I forget that Bobby is supposed to be gluten free and give him... I don't know, gold fish, but he's supposed to have some wheatgrass cracker bullshit? They could _fire_ me and tell all of the other places in town that I'm a bad worker, that I tried to sabotage children!" Stiles turned around to face Derek, frowning at his bemused expression.  
"What's so funny?" He walked over to him, taking the book from his hands and straddling the werewolf, eyes narrowing.  
"You're worrying about things they'll forgive you for on your first day. Nobody's perfect, Stiles." The alpha sat up, arms slipping around the teen's waist before giving him a kiss. "They'll understand if you slip up."  
Stiles couldn't help but settle himself against Derek, sighing quietly. "I need you to stop being so right and let me fret more. It's very displeasing to not be able to rant like I want to." He huffed, nuzzling against the alpha's neck, arms winding around his waist.  
"Oh, forgive me, Stiles. I'm _so sorry_ that I care about you and don't want you working yourself up over little things." Derek's voice was heavily laiden with sarcasm. "I will stop that right this second."  
"Good." Stiles mumbled, glancing up at Derek, the corners of his mouth curling upwards. "I don't want your affection and attention."  
"Are you two really about to break up after I gave Derek my blessing last night?" The Sheriff's voice pulled the two of them from their reverie, Stiles fumbling to get off of the werewolf and only managing to fall off the bed.  
"I don't know, John. He does these stupid things and I find myself only having stronger feelings." Derek was doing his dumb heart eyes and the teen couldn't find it in himself to be embarrassed at falling, the only pink in his cheeks from the feeling that look gave him.  
"God, you two are disgustingly in love." He groaned, shaking his head.  
"What do you want, dad?" Stiles demanded in a childlike manner, getting to his feet and dusting himself off. "I was having a good time being _disgustingly in love_ until you came up here and made me look like an idiot." 

Both Derek and the Sheriff had a track record of never letting Stiles get away with shit, so it was no surprise that Derek said "No more than you do yourself." in tandem with John. Stiles stood with his jaw hanging, a scandalized look on his face while the two older men exchanged a look before laughing.  
"I can't believe it. My boyfriend and my dad, teaming up, insulting me." He grabbed his shoes, wallet, and phone, pointing an accusatory finger at the both of them before continuing on. "I just wanted to get ready, have breakfast, but here I am, being attacked in my own room, by my own flesh and blood and the furry. I can't believe it."  
"I told you not to call me a furry." Derek sighed, standing from the bed and stretching.  
Stiles took a ~~not so~~ brief moment to look the alpha over before responding. "I was willing to go along with it until you decided to team up with my dad and insult me."  
"Oh, shush, you sensitive little fluff ball. Go eat some breakfast and continue fretting over your day until I get down there to calm you down again."  
Stiles gave Derek the bird before following his dad down the stairs, the Sheriff lecturing him on rude hand gestures that would not be tolerated under his roof. 

When Derek came down the stairs to join them for breakfast, John was watching Stiles pace and mumble to himself. "I'm waiting for you to tell me, kiddo."  
"He's worried about work today." Derek explained, putting a plate of food together. Stiles walked up behind the werewolf, knocking his head against his shoulder blade before leaving it there, groaning in pain.  
"I'm going to get run out of town."  
Derek rolled his eyes, moving to stand at the table by the Sheriff.  
"Are you sure? I haven't planned that, yet." He said around a mouthful of toast, glancing up at the werewolf. "Are you planning on banishing him and didn't tell me? I could've given you tips."  
"None right now." Derek chuckled, inhaling sharply and choking on a bite of egg when Stiles smacked his ass, hips jerking forward. "But plans easily change."  
"You won't be alone if he keeps touching you like that." John gave Stiles a look that the was returned loaded with teen angst and sass.  
"I think I prefer wheatgrass cracker fed children to the two of you right now." He grumbled, arms wrapping tight around Derek's waist, hugging him close, nuzzling his face against his back.  
"You prefer what, now?" John's face was riddled with amusement and concern as he took his plate to the sink.  
"He has it in his head he's gonna feed one of those high maintenance mom's children the wrong snack and get sued." Derek murmured, leaning back a bit against the teen, content at being held like he was.  
"They can't sue you unless it's an allergy, and even then, they'd need to be able to prove you did it with intent to harm and that it wasn't a simple mishap." The Sheriff patted Stiles on the shoulder. "You need gas money?"  
"No, Derek filled it up last night behind my back." Stiles grumbled, squeezing his waist in what Derek thought was supposed to be a threatening way, but did nothing of the sort.  
"Derek, do I need to tell you that we're good as we are? I can still take care of Stiles." Father and son, one in the same. They acted like he was doing something illegal, helping out like he was. "Stiles bought dinner behind my back. I had to get him back."  
John narrowed his eyes at Derek, probably deciding to believe him or not. "Stiles? That the truth?" He seemed to believe the werewolf at the guilty silence coming from Stiles and nodded. "Good. He needs a gentleman, not a sugar daddy."  
Derek coughed before swallowing his food, nodding. "I whole heartedly agree. He's smart enough and capable of taking care of himself."  
John nodded at Derek before grabbing his gear. "I'm headed out, you two. Nothing inappropriate in my kitchen."  
"Wouldn't dream of it, John. Have a good day."

 

  

* * *

  

  

"Stiles, it's okay." Derek couldn't help that he was laughing, Stiles looked adorable right now. He was in the front seat of Derek's Camaro, staring at the daycare building warily. He grabbed the teen's jaw and turned him to face him, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his lips. "You _will_ have a good day at work today, Stiles. I won't settle for any less." He murmured, leaning forward to cut him off with another kiss before he could say anything negative. "You will, Stiles." He murmured, stopping words from leaving the teen's mouth once again with yet another kiss. "Go knock 'em dead."


End file.
